APA-Khartoum (Sudan) – More than 700 children are displaced every hour as violence spreads, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) warned.
No fewer than 2 million children have been forced to flee their homes in Sudan since conflict erupted four months ago, an average of more than 700 children displaced every hour; UNICEF said Thursday.
As violence continues to ravage the country, UNICEF estimates that more than 1.7 million children are displaced within Sudan’s borders and more than 470,000 have crossed into neighboring countries. With more children displaced in the last 52 days than in the previous four years combined, the Fund warned that without peace, the future of Sudan’s children is at stake.
“We hear unimaginable stories of children and families, some of whom have lost everything and watched loved ones die before their eyes. We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: peace must prevail now if children are to survive,” said Mandeep O’Brien, UNICEF’s representative in Sudan, as quoted in the release obtained by APA on Thursday.
700,000 children suffering from severe acute malnutrition
In addition to conflict hotspots such as Darfur and Khartoum, violent fighting has spread to other populated areas, particularly in South and West Kordofan. According to UNICEF, nearly 14 million children are now in urgent need of humanitarian assistance.
More than 20 million people will be food insecure between July and September 2023, which is expected to worsen the health and nutritional status of nearly 10 million children, according to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) report. As the conflict continues to devastate the country, nearly 700,000 children suffering from severe acute malnutrition are unlikely to survive without treatment.
More broadly, the UN agency reports that violence continues to hamper the delivery of health and nutrition services, putting millions of children at risk. In Khartoum and the Darfur and Kordofan regions, less than one-third of health facilities are fully operational.
400 million dollars needed for next three months
Insecurity and displacement are also preventing patients and health workers from reaching hospitals, and many facilities have reportedly been attacked and destroyed.
According to UNICEF, all states in Sudan are reporting severe shortages and stock-outs of medicines and supplies, including essential items. In areas of high internal displacement and strained health systems, such as Blue Nile and White Nile states, epidemics, particularly of measles, are re-emerging and deaths are being reported.
The deadly combination of measles and malnutrition is putting children’s lives at risk unless urgent action is taken. In addition, 1.7 million babies are at risk of missing out on vital immunizations, the United Nations Children’s Fund warned.
On the ground, the agency said it has provided health, nutrition, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), education and protection services to more than 4 million children, mothers and families across Sudan in the past four months.
But it says it urgently needs $400 million over the next 100 days to sustain and expand its crisis response.
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