14 million children need humanitarian assistance in Sudan: UNICEF
December 18, 2023 (KHARTOUM) – About 14 million children, or one in every two children, need urgent humanitarian assistance, the UN children Fund (UNICEF) said.
A UNICEF report, titled, “The Impact of Sudan’s Armed Conflict on the Fiscal Situation and Service Delivery” paints a grisly picture on the plight of children in the country.
All schools, is stated, have been closed with 19 million children out of school in Sudan.
Clashes between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) broke out in April and intense fighting has continued between the warring forces in Khartoum, Darfur and some areas of Kordofan states and between the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement- North (SPLM-N) Al Hilu faction and SAF in South Kordofan State.
According to UNICEF, prior to the conflict, the children of Sudan were already in a precarious situation with more than 6.9 million of school-going age out of school. In addition, three million children under-five years of age were suffering from malnutrition; one third of the population in need of water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) facilities; and more than three million women and girls at risk of gender-based violence (GBV).
Since the onset of the conflict, over 6 million people have been displaced including about 3 million children, nearly a quarter of whom have crossed to neighbouring nations.
“Over 3,130 allegations of severe child rights violations have been reported in the country. This is just the tip of the iceberg, with severe under reporting due to communications blackouts and lack of access,” partly reads UNICEF’s report.
“Additionally, an estimated 4.2 million women and girls are at risk of GBV,” it adds.
The escalating humanitarian crisis in Sudan over the last eight months has reached a grim milestone in Darfur, where at least 5 million children reportedly facing extreme deprivation of their rights and protection risks due to conflict.
Since the war broke out on April 15, over 3,130 allegations of severe child rights violations have been reported in the country, with the Darfur region bearing at least half of the cases. This is just the tip of the iceberg, with severe under reporting due to communications blackouts and lack of access.
“Sudan – and Darfur in particular – has become a living hell for millions of children, with thousands being ethnically targeted, killed, injured, abused, and exploited. This must end,” said Catherine Russell, UNICEF Executive Director.
She added, “Children continue to suffer new violence, while their parents and grandparents still bear the scars of previous cycles of violence. We cannot allow it to happen yet again. All parties to the conflict must uphold international law and protect children and civilians. Children need peace.”
The reported number of severe child right violations in Darfur represents a spike of 450 per cent when compared to the verified number in all of 2022. Of all killing and maiming incidents reported across Sudan, 51 per cent involve children in Darfur. In addition, 48 per cent of the total reported sexual violence cases in Sudan occur in Darfur. UNICEF continues to receive disturbing reports of child recruitment and use.
In addition to multiple levels of violence, over 1.2 million children under five in the Darfur states are suffering from acute malnutrition, with 218,000 of them facing severe acute malnutrition, its most deadly form. Without urgent treatment and life-saving services, they are at high risk of death.
The recent upsurge in fighting has also led to significant displacement in the region, with 1.7 million new internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Darfur, nearly 40% of the total caseload in the country. Nearly half of them are children.
Displaced children face heightened risks for abuse, violence, exploitation, and separation from their caregivers.
Vital services in Darfur, including health care and protection, have crumbled due to hindered access, looting, and lack of financial resources, further exacerbated by attacks on frontline workers. Nurses, teachers, doctors, and social workers have not been paid in months, and critical infrastructure, such as water and sanitation systems and hospitals, have been damaged or depleted.
(ST)