At least three babies are born into war every minute in Sudan , where conflict has raged for nearly three years, plunging the country into one of the world’s biggest humanitarian crises , according to Save the Children.
Data provided by the NGO shows that 5.6 million babies were born in Sudan between April 2023 and April 2026, which is the equivalent of 5,000 births per day, or three babies born per minute.
Many of these children were born to displaced mothers in overcrowded, inadequate shelters, often without electricity, basic equipment, and a lack of skilled medical staff. Near-daily attacks , the lack of sufficient humanitarian relief, the near-total collapse of the Sudanese healthcare system, and food insecurity are putting mothers and newborns at serious risk, as the war fast approaches its three-year mark.
"These children are born in overcrowded shelters, under-equipped or damaged health facilities, or while their families are on the move," the country director for Save the Children in Sudan, Mohamed Abdiladif, said.
"No child should ever face" being born into such conditions, Save the Children added.
The Rapid Support Forces (RSF), led by Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, and the Sudanese army, led by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, have been at war since April 2023, triggered by a power struggle between the two groups. The conflict is set to hit the three-year mark on Wednesday, with still no end in sight.
Both parties have been accused of carrying out atrocities in Sudan . The RSF has been accused of sexual violence and rape, as well as burying civilians in mass graves.
The war has killed thousands and displaced millions, while famine and food insecurity have impacted 25 million people, including four million children, who are now suffering from acute malnutrition.
Sudan’s fragile healthcare system has also put thousands of mothers at risk of dying during childbirth or contracting illnesses.
The rate of mothers dying during childbirth has increased by more than 12 percent. In 2025, 295 new mothers per 100,000 died during childbirth.
According to UN data, the infant mortality rate in 2024 was estimated at 42.9 percent.
Around 80 percent of Sudan’s healthcare facilities have been labelled as "non-operational". Those still operational still face severe shortages of essential supplies, medicine, staff, and fuel for generators.
Since the start of the year, the regions of Kordofan and Darfur have been susceptible to frequent drone strikes on areas with large gatherings of people.
Since January, at least 700 people have died in such drone strikes .