In war‑torn Sudan there is a new generation of children who have no legal identity, none of whom have a birth certificate or a national number.
Amira—now 17 and a mother—holds her newborn son with heavy confidence yet a heavy fear, because the child has no recognized name or documentation.
El‑Fasher, once the army’s last outpost in western Darfur, was lost to RSF forces in October 2023 after 18 months of siege, with civilians trapped amid bombardments and a severe lack of food.
Early 2025, Amira and her family fled the city. While crossing the road south‑west of El‑Fasher, she was abducted by three RSF men, blindfolded, and held captive for two months; each day one of them raped her until she discovered she was pregnant.
After weeks, a convergence of humanitarian aid showers carried her to a hospital in a neutral zone, where she delivered her son under the care of the International Medical Corps. The Nada Al‑Azhar Foundation later helped her locate her family in a refugee camp.
Despite this reunion, Amira still cannot register her son’s birth because she cannot provide any paternal information—making him unable to receive vaccinations, enter school, or even access basic health services.
Abu Bakr Yousif Yaqoub, director of Nada’s protection programmes, explains that children born through rape or other wartime circumstances often lack a father’s identity, which blocks official registration. He warns that the consequences ripple into future education, travel, and adult legal rights.
The Sudanese Child Act of 2010 does allow registration of children born outside marriage; however, it relies on a mother’s formal reporting of assault—something most young parents can’t do without a guardian’s presence.
Legal experts, including Majida Idris, point to the collapse of civil registry offices in war‑torn areas like Darfur. Without documents, children are denied not only names but also school enrolment, vaccinations, and the right to move freely in society.
Amira’s story is a microcosm of a broader crisis: millions of children born in Sudan’s conflict zones, many still living in administrative limbo, poised to face a future of marginalisation and fear. Human‑rights organisations are calling for the reopening of civil registries and proactive measures to grant children their rightful identities.
