The UN agency added that there have been more than 2,500 serious violations of children’s rights – more than once an hour on average – in a country of 14 million young people in need of relief.
“More than 100 days after the conflict in Sudan escalated, we know that it is cause absolutely terrible damage to children and families” UNICEF spokesman Joe English told UN News.
Deadly health concerns
Reflecting those concerns, the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) reported that almost 300 displaced children died of measles and malnutrition in White Nile State.
“That is It is time for all parties to this conflict to immediately put an end to this tragic warHigh Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi said that amid growing concern for the more than 740,000 refugees who have now left Sudan for neighboring countries.
According to the UNHCR, conditions are “miserable” for those arriving at shelters in neighboring countries, where camps are overcrowded and the rainy season makes it more difficult to move and deliver aid.
Children protect themselves
To date, more than 3.3 million people have been displaced within Sudan and across borders, including Egypt, where UNHCR said. most children continue to come without parents.
“For every child killed or injured, we know that many others have been displaced from their homes, lacking access to essential services,” UNICEF said in a statement, stressing the need for safe, unobstructed access to children and their families so they can get the support they need.
Despite vigorous diplomatic efforts to end the fighting – particularly by the African Union, the regional body of the Intergovernmental Agency for Development (IGAD), the League of Arab States and the United Nations – clashes involving the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and rival Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militias continued on multiple fronts.
Expressing support for much-needed peaceful dialogue, UNHCR chief Grandi said people must be allowed to leave conflict zones to seek safety, at home or abroad, and be protected “from all forms of violence”.
So far, the UN response within Sudan has only been 23% funded. Both UNHCR and UNICEF have urgently appealed for more donor support to support vulnerable populations who have endured three months of fighting, centered around the capital Khartoum, but spreading to volatile Darfur and other areas.
