Sudan’s escalating conflict has reached even the most vulnerable spaces, kindergartens. A recent drone strike on Al-Hanan Kindergarten in South Kordofan killed 96 people, including 43 children, while additional strikes targeted a hospital and a humanitarian food convoy. These attacks violate international humanitarian law and reflect a broader pattern of violence against civilians and education facilities. According to the UN, over 2,000 grave violations against children, inc

This week’s exploration focused on a central question: what does it really mean for schools to function as safe spaces in conflict zones? Across several global discussions and reports, a clear pattern emerges, when conflict intensifies, education systems are often among the first institutions to collapse, yet they remain one of the most important foundations for recovery. Recent reports from Sudan highlight how universities in Darfur and Kordofan have become direct targ

The right to education has been firmly established in international law since Article 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948). It has since been reinforced through a range of binding treaties, including the UNESCO Convention against Discrimination in Education (1960), the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), the Convention on the Rights of

At a UNESCO side event during the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, global education and human rights organizations discussed how to protect early childhood care and education (ECCE) during crises. The Right to Education Initiative (RTE) emphasized that early education must be treated as a fundamental human right, even in conflict and emergency contexts. RTE introduced new monitoring tools and indicators designed to track whether governments are prepared for education disrup

Sudan’s Ministry of Higher Education condemned drone strikes on Kordofan University and attacks on several universities across the Darfur region, blaming the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The strike destroyed major campus buildings and is part of a broader pattern of assaults on academic institutions since the war between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and RSF began in April 2023. Human rights groups warn that universities in Al-Fasher, Nyala, Zalingei, and