By Anjali Sharma
UNITED NATIONS – UNICEF Executive Director, Catherine Russell warned on Thursday that Sudan is now the world’s largest and most devastating humanitarian crisis, after two years of war, over 30 million people half of them children are living in the grip of mass atrocities, famine and deadly disease.
Ms. Russell bried the members of the UNSC and told “This is not just a crisis, it is a poly-crisis affecting every sector, from health and nutrition to water, education and protection,”.
The war erupted between the former allies-turned-rivals, the Sudanese army and Rapid Support Forces and their associated militias in April 2023, over thousands of civilians have been killed and over 12 million forced to flee their homes and 3.5 million as refugees in neighboring countries.
The agency said that fertile farmlands have been decimated, famine declared in several areas and critical infrastructure including hospitals destroyed or abandoned in the fighting.
UNICEF has received alarming reports of grave violations against children, including killings, sexual violence and forced recruitment into armed groups and children are bearing the brunt of the violence.
The agency noted that between June and December 2024 more than 900 cases of gross child rights violations were recorded, with 80 per cent involving killings or maiming.
Ms. Russell said “Children in Sudan are enduring unimaginable suffering and horrific violence. The last time I was in Sudan I met with families and children who are living through this nightmare. Their stories are heartbreaking – and demand immediate action,”.
She recounted abhorrent testimony of rape, warning that an estimated 12.1 million women and girls and increasingly men and boys are at risk of sexual violence, an 80 per cent increase from last year.
“The data only gives us a glimpse into what we know is a far larger, more devastating crisis.”
Ms. Russell stressed that bureaucratic and administrative obstacles, as well as fluid frontlines, have made access unpredictable. Humanitarians are increasingly at risk of being extorted, attacked and killed.
Over 770,000 children are expected to suffer from severe acute malnutrition this year, many in areas cut off from humanitarian relief.
“Without lifesaving aid, many of these children will die,” Ms. Russell stressed.
She urged the UN Security Council to pressure all parties to allow unimpeded humanitarian access, especially through key border crossings.
Ms. Russell concluded her remarks by stressing the urgent need for global action.
She called for the immediate protection of children and the essential infrastructure they depend on for survival and holding those responsible for violations, particularly sexual violence, accountable.
UNICEF head urged the Security Council to help secure humanitarian access so aid can reach those in need without delay and called for an end to military support for the warring parties.
Ms. Russell underscored the need for increased funding, noted that UNICEF alone requires $1 billion to provide lifesaving assistance to 8.7 million vulnerable children.
“Without these urgent actions, this crisis will further overwhelm Sudanese society and the suffering will increase exponentially, resulted in a generational catastrophe that threatens the future of Sudan, the region and beyond.”
Christopher Lockyear, Secretary General of the humanitarian NGO Médecins Sans Frontières also briefed the Council and described his visit to Sudan.
He saw the aftermath of a RSF shelling attack on the Sabreen Market in Omdurman in Khartoum.
The MSF-supported al-Nao Hospital, one of the few still operating in the area, was overwhelmed with patients suffering catastrophic injuries, he said.
“The hospital was a scene of utter carnage: waves of patients with catastrophic injuries filled every corner of the emergency room.”
“I witnessed the lives of men, women, and children being torn apart in front of men,” he said.
He added that SAF forces bombed a peanut oil factory and civilian neighborhoods in Nyala, South Darfur, overwhelming an MSF-supported hospital.
These attacks were some examples of how the “merciless” war is being waged, he said
Mr. Lockyear appealed to Council members for an immediate and sustained response to the crisis, stressing that humanitarian aid system in Sudan is paralyzed by bureaucratic delays, insecurity and political obstruction.
He underscored the need for a new “humanitarian compact” for Sudan that genuinely commits to protection of civilians, guarantees aid workers the operational space they need, brings the warring parties into alignment with humanitarian law all underpinned by robust accountability mechanisms.
“However, even the strongest agreement will falter without the full engagement of donors and a more proactive approach from the UN Secretariat,” he said.
He concluded “To Member States: the response must be bolstered by increased and sustained funding. To the UN Secretary-General: full redeployment of UN humanitarian agencies must be mandated in Darfur and across Sudan.”
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