Kindergartens in Sudan must be safe spaces, not zones of fear
8 December 2025Plan International calls on all armed actors in Sudan to uphold International Humanitarian Law after recent drone attacks, including the attack on Al-Hanan Kindergarten in South Kordofan that resulted in the deaths of 96 people, 43 of whom were children.
At least four separate drone strikes were reported on 4 December in South Kordofan and North Kordofan states, with two hitting the kindergarten in the town of Kalogi a third hitting a hospital where the injured had been brought for treatment and a fourth hitting a human convoy transporting food to North Darfur seriously injuring the driver.
“I am at a loss of words. I am heartbroken for these children and their families. What hope can we give the children of Sudan for a better future if we cannot guarantee their safety at a kindergarten?” said Mohamed Kamal, Country Director Plan International Sudan.
The attack on the kindergarten in South Kordofan comes barely two weeks after the 10th anniversary of the Safe Schools Declaration – a global commitment endorsed by 121 States to protect students, teachers, and schools during armed conflict – a response to the alarming reality of increased attacks on schools and the tragic impact on children and teachers.
An assault on hope
“These are not just attacks on education facilities, they are an assault on hope, they eradicate futures, crush dreams, and dismantle the very foundation of community recovery. The violence heightens a child’s vulnerability to exploitation, abuse, and recruitment by armed groups, leaving deep and lasting psychological scars on an entire generation” says Plan International’s Head of Global Education in Humanitarian Action, Emilia Sorrentino.
Plan International has consistently and repeatedly urged all armed actors in Sudan to uphold their obligations to International Humanitarian Law, including strict and unconditional prohibitions on the targeting of civilians and humanitarian workers, on the use of weapons that risk indiscriminate harm to civilians such as drone strikes and on grave violations against children. However, the recent escalation of violence in parts of the country has included the use of drone strikes with devastating impact on civilians.
“We have already seen the devastating consequences of inaction in the humanitarian catastrophe that unfolded in El Fasher, North Darfur, despite months of repeated appeals to prioritise the protection of civilians. The recent escalation in the Greater Kordofan region is a precursor of yet another inevitable crisis right in front of our eyes. Something has to change; action must be taken now to save lives” warns Kamal.
“Plan International reaffirms our commitment to standing with children in Sudan and advocating for their safety, education, and future. Schools and kindergartens in Sudan must be safe spaces, not zones of fear.”
Grave violations
The United Nations Secretary General’s Annual Report on Children and Armed Conflict has reported an unprecedented scale of grave violations against children in Sudan. More than 2000 grave violations have been verified including recruitment and use of children by armed groups, killing and maiming of children, sexual violence, attacks on schools and hospitals, abductions of children and denial of humanitarian access.
Plan International is currently responding to the humanitarian situation across Sudan including in North Darfur and the Greater Kordofan states by providing emergency food and non-food items to those displaced by the conflict, mental and psychosocial support as well as establishing child friendly spaces as a safe place for children.
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