Hundreds of children flee to Tawila camp amid violence in Sudan’s west Darfur

Sudan’s Tawila refugee camp has become a lifeline for hundreds of children separated from their families while fleeing the escalating violence in West Darfur. According to the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), more than 400 unaccompanied minors have arrived in the camp over the past month alone.

Mathilde Vu, the NRC’s advocacy manager, said the situation remains dire. “We see children caring for other children because the parents have disappeared, because the parents have been detained. This is not safety,” she said. “Everyone here is very stressed and traumatized… whatever calm exists is extremely fragile.”

The surge in displacement follows a brutal offensive in El-Fasher, where the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) left hundreds dead in what had been the Sudanese army’s last major stronghold in Darfur. The conflict between the RSF and the military has raged since 2023, devastating communities and pushing civilians toward already overstretched camps like Tawila, which humanitarian workers say are performing “critical, life-saving work.”

Vu said the trauma is especially severe for children. “That’s why we call for more education during emergencies,” she said. “So many children have been starved for 18 months, lost their homes and family members, and endured a deadly journey to Tawila.”

Many children reached the camp escorted by relatives, neighbors, or even strangers who refused to abandon them in the desert or in war-torn El-Fasher.

Child protection worker Nidaa said emotional recovery takes time. “They arrived withdrawn, violent, aggressive,” she said. “After sessions and support, they’re more engaged and interacting again.”

Earlier this month, the RSF accepted a US-brokered humanitarian truce, but Sudan’s military rejected it, insisting the RSF must withdraw from civilian areas and disarm before any agreement can take effect.