Children in El Obeid, the capital of Sudan’s North Kordofan State, are facing repeated school closures as drones fly overhead, disrupting lessons and adding to the hardships of families displaced by the country’s war, the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) said on Thursday.
Teachers at a school visited by NRC country director Shashwat Saraf this week said they regularly suspended classes because of drones flying overhead, it said.
“It is an outrage that children should experience such things when simply trying to get education: they should not have to be brave just to attend school,” Saraf said.
NRC-supported learning centres in El Obeid have enrolled more than 5,500 pupils, with many other families still seeking places for their children. The organisation works with the Alsalam Organisation for Rehabilitation and Development (AORD) to help children catch up on missed lessons and cope with fear and stress.
Drones have repeatedly struck civilian sites in El Obeid in recent weeks, including a university dormitory, a shelter for displaced families and warehouses in Sheikan locality holding more than 330,000 textbooks, NRC said.
The city is home to more than 500,000 people, including tens of thousands displaced by fighting elsewhere in Sudan.
“Each attack leaves families wondering what will be hit next,” Saraf said, adding that displaced families were also struggling with rising prices and shortages of clean water, safe sanitation and adequate shelter.
“Children are willing, teachers are willing, parents are willing. What they are missing is the certainty that a school day can simply be a school day, without listening for drones or wondering when lessons might have to stop,” he said.
Overcrowded classrooms
NRC also supports a girls’ school in El Obeid with about 1,200 students, but only three classrooms are available for use, Saraf said.
“Entering one of the classrooms meant trying not to step on one another,” he said.
The organisation has built two additional classrooms and toilets, supplied learning materials and trained teachers to support children affected by the conflict. But the needs remain greater than the available resources, Saraf said.
NRC has provided cash assistance to 4,000 households in El Obeid and distributed 3,000 kits containing hygiene and shelter supplies, including blankets, plastic sheeting, sleeping mats, jerrycans and solar lamps.
The organisation also plans to support community-led initiatives to help residents respond to growing needs.
Its 12-month response plan for El Obeid aims to raise $7.1 million to assist 107,000 people, but 65% of the funding remains unavailable, NRC said.
Call to protect civilians
“Attacks on civilians and the infrastructure they rely upon are prohibited under international humanitarian law,” Saraf said.
He called on the parties to the conflict to protect schools, homes, shelters and markets and keep military assets away from civilian areas.
Donors should provide urgent funding for water, shelter and education to support displaced people and host communities in El Obeid, he said.
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