Severe Humanitarian Crisis for Children in Sudan Amid Ongoing Conflict

UNICEF reports that 16 million children in Sudan are suffering due to the civil war, facing violence, starvation, and disease. Children under five are especially at risk, with 221 cases of rape reported last year. UNICEF requires a billion dollars to support 8.7 million children. The ongoing conflict, driven by a power struggle between rival generals, poses severe humanitarian challenges.

UNICEF has reported that 16 million children in Sudan are enduring severe hardships due to the ongoing civil war, facing threats of violence, starvation, disease, and sexual assault. Catherine Russell, UNICEF’s executive director, emphasized the gravity of the situation during a U.N. Security Council meeting, stating that fighting is occurring near homes, schools, and hospitals across the country.

Particularly vulnerable are children under five years of age, with over 1.3 million located in famine hotspots and an additional 3 million at risk of diseases such as cholera, malaria, and dengue due to a deteriorating health infrastructure. Tragically, approximately 16.5 million youth are currently out of school.

Russell also highlighted the alarming number of reported rapes against children last year, with 221 cases across nine states, where two-thirds of the victims were girls. “In 16 of the recorded cases, the children were under the age of five. Four were babies under the age of one,” she noted, highlighting the urgent need for intervention and support.

She insisted on an immediate cessation of hostilities but cautioned that even a peace agreement would not eliminate the trauma these children have faced. “The trauma these children experience and the deep scars it leaves behind do not end,” she affirmed, stressing the necessity for ongoing care and support.

Christopher Lockyear, head of Doctors Without Borders (MSF), corroborated these findings by revealing that his teams treated 385 survivors of sexual violence in Sudan last year, with many victims under five years of age. “The vast majority — including some younger than five — had been raped, often by armed men,” he stated, underscoring the systematic targeting of women and girls in conflict zones.

The civil war, which is a power struggle between rival generals, erupted in Khartoum in April 2023, expanding into other areas including Darfur. Both the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces have been implicated in serious human rights violations.

Lockyear recounted a personal experience from six weeks prior in Omdurman, where he witnessed “utter carnage” in a partner hospital. He reported that while calls for peace are being made in the U.N. chamber, civilians continue to suffer—“unseen, unprotected, bombed, besieged, raped, displaced, deprived of food, of medical care, of dignity.”

Given the catastrophic circumstances, Russell revealed that UNICEF requires one billion dollars this year to provide essential support to 8.7 million children in Sudan, emphasizing the need for nutrition, water and sanitation, protection, health, and education. She and Lockyear urged the Security Council to advocate for the removal of obstacles preventing the delivery of much-needed aid.

The situation for children in Sudan remains dire amidst ongoing conflict, with millions suffering from violence, starvation, and disease. The urgent calls from UNICEF and Doctors Without Borders highlight the critical need for immediate humanitarian assistance and a commitment to safeguarding children’s rights. A billion-dollar funding appeal from UNICEF illustrates the extensive support required to address these issues, necessitating unified efforts to ensure the welfare of vulnerable populations in Sudan.

Original Source: www.voanews.com