Sudan’s war steals children’s future with school closures and displacement

Since Sudan’s war began on April 15, 2023, eight million of the country’s 17 million school-age children have been out of school, according to UNICEF. In Port Sudan, nine-year-old Abkar Mohammed cleans and polishes shoes to help support his family while attending classes at a traditional khalwa. In Darfur, about 80 percent of schools remain closed and 70 percent of children are not attending classes. Save the Children estimates that Sudanese children have missed an average of 484 days of classroom learning because of fighting, displacement and damage to schools.