The European Union has called on Sudan's warring parties to immediately cease all attacks on educational facilities and personnel, halt the military use of schools, and grant safe, sustained and unhindered access for education and protection actors, warning that denying education deepens children's vulnerability to recruitment and exploitation. In a statement delivered on 7 August 2026 at a UN Security Council Arria-formula meeting on Safeguarding Education in Sudan, the EU's delegation to the UN, speaking on behalf of the bloc and its member states, said Sudan's education system "lies in ruins," with 8 million children no longer in school and 17 million experiencing severely disrupted learning. The statement, delivered by Quentin Weiler of the EU Delegation to the UN, noted that nearly half of Sudan's school buildings can no longer function as classrooms and that attacks on schools and protected personnel rose by 57 per cent between 2024 and 2025.
The EU's intervention comes as part of a broader international push to address the humanitarian and security crisis in Sudan, which has been marked by ongoing conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The statement follows a ministerial conference on Sudan held in Berlin in April 2026, which the EU said sent a clear signal about the international community's commitment to ending the atrocities. The EU reiterated four core asks from that conference: a genuine and lasting ceasefire; rapid, safe and unimpeded humanitarian access and protection of civilians; a return to inclusive civilian governance; and justice, accountability and respect for the rule of law. The bloc also rejected any partition of Sudan and said it continues to apply targeted restrictive measures against those obstructing peace.
On the financial side, the EU highlighted its role as one of Sudan's largest humanitarian and development donors. In 2026, the EU allocated EUR 276.3 million for humanitarian response in Sudan and neighbouring countries, of which EUR 93.85 million is targeted at safe, inclusive primary education amid the conflict. The EU said it attaches particular importance to preserving the integrity of Sudan's nationally recognised education system, including examinations and certification, under the Transitional Education Plan 2025–2027, so that displaced and refugee children are not further disadvantaged.
The statement also detailed the EU's diplomatic engagement since late 2025. Since November 2025, the EU has worked within the framework of the Quintet to facilitate an inclusive, Sudanese-owned and civilian-led political transition, and since July 2026 it has joined the Coalition for Atrocity Prevention and Justice for Sudan. The EU said it has been working on a technical de-escalation track dedicated to the protection of critical civilian infrastructure, with discussions with both SAF and RSF continuing, and is engaging with the UN in early preparations for a ceasefire verification and monitoring mechanism.
The EU's call for accountability includes urging that violations against children and education be documented, investigated, and lead to accountability, including through cooperation with relevant UN mechanisms. The bloc also called on all parties to uphold the commitments of the Safe Schools Declaration, endorsed by the vast majority of EU member states, and to respect schools, students and teachers in accordance with international humanitarian law, the Geneva Conventions, the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and Security Council resolution 1998.
The statement's emphasis on education as a child protection, recovery, and peace and security issue reflects a growing international focus on the long-term consequences of the conflict for Sudan's youth. The EU's concrete financial commitments and its involvement in political and accountability mechanisms signal a sustained engagement, though the effectiveness of these efforts will depend on the parties' willingness to comply with international calls for a ceasefire and humanitarian access.