Sudan’s invisible children – born in war with no legal identity
Children Born Into Conflict: Sudan's Unregistered Generation
Ninoda.com – Across Sudan's war-torn regions, a growing number of children face an uncertain future without legal identity. These "invisible children" are born during conflict, often without their fathers present, leaving mothers unable to secure essential documentation for their offspring.
A Mother's Struggle
Amira, a seventeen-year-old from Sudan whose name has been altered to safeguard her privacy, cradles her infant with a quiet strength that seems beyond her years. She explains the situation plainly:
"This son of mine has no father, no birth certificate and no national number."
Her family once resided in the eastern districts of el-Fasher, a city that endured an eighteen-month siege by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Since April 2023, the paramilitary group has engaged in a fierce power contest with Sudan's military. The city, which served as the army's final stronghold in Darfur's western territories, ultimately surrendered to RSF forces and allied Arab militias in October of last year.
Abduction and Captivity
As thousands of civilians remained trapped within el-Fasher's boundaries, they endured relentless shelling, violent confrontations, and severe food shortages. Seeking safety, Amira and her relatives departed in early 2025. While escaping along a road southwest of the city, three armed RSF fighters seized her and carried her to the Tabit region south of el-Fasher.
"They blindfolded me and took me to the Tabit area south of el-Fasher. I was locked in a room for two months, and every day one of them raped me in turn,"
During her confinement, Amira discovered she was pregnant and grew increasingly ill. When her captors decided to discard her, they left her near the location where she had been taken. Fellow refugees helped transport her to medical facilities.
Birth and Reunion
Months later, at a humanitarian center outside RSF jurisdiction, Amira delivered her baby at a hospital operated by the International Medical Corps. The Nada Al-Azhar Foundation for Disaster Prevention and Sustainable Development, a Sudanese aid organization, provided assistance and successfully located her family in a camp housing hundreds of thousands of el-Fasher evacuees.
Despite the joy of reunion, practical problems persisted. Eight months after childbirth, Amira could not register her son's birth.
"Even getting a birth notification from the hospital requires information that doesn't exist,"
she explained, noting her inability to supply details about the child's father. Without this crucial information, official recognition of her baby's legal status remains impossible.
"I can't get him vaccinated, or enrol him in nursery or school. I'm afraid for his future because he isn't registered at all. My economic situation is very difficult, and I can't afford his treatment or care. I can't even go to work for fear of being exposed to violence again."
A Widespread Crisis
According to Nada, Amira's experience reflects a pattern repeated throughout Sudan's conflict zones. Abu Bakr Yousif Yaqoub, Nada's director of protection programmes, attributes this to children born in complicated circumstances, frequently without paternal knowledge.
"Registering a child requires identity information, a national number and a birth certificate. But when the father is absent or unknown, it becomes extremely difficult,"
He emphasized that many mothers find themselves alone, and some are still children themselves who require care, which constrains their capacity to nurture their babies. Health complications also arise from insufficient follow-up on vaccinations that start at birth and continue through early childhood.
Yaqoub warned that these consequences extend far beyond infancy, affecting future educational opportunities and adult capabilities such as travel and document acquisition. Shaza Ahmed, Nada's director general, noted that obtaining accurate statistics on children born from rape proves challenging due to social stigma.
"Women who experience such assaults do not feel comfortable reporting them,"
she said, explaining why official records often fall short of reality.
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