In a pressing call for peace, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) highlighted the escalating humanitarian crisis in Sudan, revealing that the nation now has the highest number of displaced children worldwide due to the ongoing conflict between the Sudanese military and the Rapid Support Forces.
The strife, enduring for seven months, has forcibly displaced nearly 3 million children, pushing them into uncertainty and danger.
UNICEF, through its platform on X (formerly Twitter), urgently appealed for a cessation of hostilities in Sudan, cautioning that the intensification of the conflict would only increase the number of children fleeing their homes, exposing them to heightened risks of violence, abuse, and exploitation.
This alarming situation comes on the heels of a joint report last week by UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO), stating that 700,000 children under five in Sudan are suffering from severe acute malnutrition, facing a dire risk of mortality without timely medical intervention. Additionally, 100,000 children require life-saving treatment due to medical complications arising from severe malnutrition.
Sudan currently faces the largest internal displacement crisis globally, with millions lacking access to essential services such as food, safe drinking water, sanitation, and healthcare.
This deprivation significantly increases their vulnerability to death from childbirth complications, low immunization rates, and disease outbreaks, with malnutrition rates rapidly climbing.
Both organizations forecasted that without immediate action, the food insecurity exacerbated by the conflict could lead to the deaths of at least 10,000 children under five by year-end, a figure over 20 times higher than the official death toll of children of all ages due to the fighting.
Since April 15, the conflict has claimed over 9,000 lives, according to United Nations estimates, and displaced around 6 million people either within Sudan or to neighboring countries.
The war has ravaged the already fragile infrastructure, shuttered 80% of the country’s hospitals, and pushed millions to the brink of starvation. The United Nations reports that over half of Sudan’s population now requires humanitarian assistance to survive.
Mandeep O’Brien, UNICEF’s representative in Sudan, emphasized the critical need for health and nutrition services for mothers, newborns, and children in a country where nearly 14 million children urgently need humanitarian support, with services disrupted in many areas.
Naeema Saeed Abed, WHO’s representative in Sudan, pointed out the inaccessibility of primary healthcare for millions of Sudanese at a time when it’s most needed.
Amid this health crisis, the Sudanese Ministry of Health announced the death of 122 individuals from cholera and dengue fever between July 15 and October 27, highlighting the widespread disease outbreaks affecting millions, including children, with the healthcare system under immense strain from attacks and ongoing conflict.
In a bid to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid, achieve a ceasefire, and explore possibilities for a lasting end to hostilities, talks have commenced in Jeddah between the Sudanese military and the Rapid Support Forces, as stated in a Saudi Foreign Ministry announcement on Sunday.