Major violations against children in Sudan — including killings, abductions, and attacks on schools and hospitals — have increased by 1,000 percent since the country descended into civil war two years ago, the United Nations Children's Fund said Monday, urging greater international attention.

The escalation follows continued fighting between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a conflict that began in April 2023. UNICEF warned that what were once isolated incidents have now expanded across much of the country.

"Two years of violence and displacement have shattered the lives of millions of children across Sudan," UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell said in a statement.

"The number of grave violations against children has surged by 1,000 percent in two years," the statement said.

Verified cases of children killed or maimed rose from 150 in 2022 to an estimated 2,776 across 2023 and 2024, according to figures shared with AFP. UNICEF cautioned that the real numbers may be significantly higher due to underreporting in conflict zones.

Attacks on schools and hospitals also surged, increasing from 33 verified cases in 2022 to around 181 over the last two years.

The number of children in need of humanitarian aid has doubled, rising from 7.8 million at the beginning of 2023 to more than 15 million today, UNICEF reported.

"Sudan is the biggest humanitarian crisis in the world today, but it is not getting the world's attention," Russell said, adding "we cannot abandon the children of Sudan."

"We have the expertise and the resolve to scale up our support, but we need access and sustained funding," she said.

Since hostilities erupted between army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his former deputy, RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, the war has killed tens of thousands and displaced more than 13 million people, according to UN data.

Famine has been declared in at least five areas, including the Zamzam displacement camp in Darfur, where RSF forces recently seized control.

UNICEF warned that the upcoming rainy season could deepen the crisis. Flooding and deteriorating health conditions could push an estimated 462,000 children into severe acute malnutrition.