UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell visited a boys’ school in Kassala State this week to draw attention to the worsening humanitarian crisis in Sudan. The UN agency reports that approximately 10 million people—half of them children—have been displaced since a brutal civil war erupted in April 2023, following a power struggle between Sudan’s army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
The conflict has already claimed over 150,000 lives, triggered widespread famine, and raised allegations of genocide in Darfur. Russell’s visit highlighted the urgent need to safeguard children and ensure access to essential services, as more than 30 million people across Sudan require humanitarian assistance. Children trapped in besieged and hard-to-reach areas of Darfur and Kordofan are particularly vulnerable, facing severe shortages of food, water, and medical care.
Recent attacks, including the December 8 strike on a kindergarten in South Kordofan, killed at least 63 children, underscoring the extreme risks facing Sudanese youth. Women and girls are also disproportionately affected, with reports of sexual violence and abuse increasing in conflict zones.
During her visit, Russell met women and adolescent girls receiving psychosocial support and skills training at a UNICEF-supported center in Kassala, providing care and safety for those who fled the violence. She also toured the As-Senniya internally displaced persons site in Port Sudan, where UNICEF is delivering critical aid.
UNICEF is actively identifying and registering unaccompanied and separated children, facilitating reunifications, and providing child protection services, psychological support, and cash assistance. The organization is also restoring safe water supplies and medical clinics to meet urgent health needs.
Russell called for an immediate end to the violence, urging all parties to uphold international humanitarian law and ensure the safety and dignity of every child and civilian. The agency continues to emphasize that without swift action, the humanitarian situation in Sudan, particularly in Darfur and Kordofan, could deteriorate further, leaving millions more at risk of starvation, illness, and trauma.
Leave a comment