“This is not just a crisis, it is a poly-crisis
affecting every sector, from health and nutrition to water,
education and protection,” Catherine Russell, UNICEF Executive
Director, told ambassadors in the Security
Council.
Since war
erupted between the former allies-turned-rivals, the
Sudanese army (SAF) and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and their
associated militias in April 2023, tens of thousands of
civilians have been killed and more than 12 million forced
to flee their homes – around 3.5 million as refugees in
neighbouring countries.
Fertile farmlands have been
decimated, famine
declared in several areas and critical infrastructure
– including hospitals – destroyed or abandoned in the
fighting.
Heartbreaking situation
Children are
bearing the brunt of the violence. UNICEF has received
alarming reports of grave violations against children,
including killings, sexual violence and forced recruitment
into armed groups.
Between June and December 2024
alone, more than 900 cases of gross child rights violations
were recorded, with 80 per cent involving killings or
maiming.
Advertisement – scroll to continue reading
“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,” Ms. Russell said.
She
recounted abhorrent testimony of rape, warning that an
estimated 12.1 million women and girls – and increasingly
men and boys – are currently 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.”
Aid
blockades
Despite the dire need, humanitarian
organizations face severe challenges in delivering
aid.
Bureaucratic and administrative obstacles, as
well as fluid frontlines, have made access unpredictable.
Humanitarians are increasingly at risk of being extorted,
attacked and killed.
More than 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.
Urgent action needed
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.
She also 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, noting 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,
resulting in a generational catastrophe that threatens the
future of Sudan, the region and
beyond.”
Utter carnage at MSF
hospital
Also briefing ambassadors, Christopher
Lockyear, Secretary General of the humanitarian NGO
Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders),
described his visit to Sudan.
In Khartoum, he saw the
aftermath of a RSF shelling attack on the Sabreen Market in
Omdurman. 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, adding that same week,
SAF forces bombed a peanut oil factory and civilian
neighbourhoods in Nyala, South Darfur, overwhelming an
MSF-supported hospital.
These attacks were just some
examples of how the “merciless” war is being
waged.
The hospital was a scene of utter
carnage: waves of patients with catastrophic injuries filled
every corner of the emergency room –
Christopher Lockyear, MSF Secretary
General
Immediate, sustained response
needed
Mr. Lockyear appealed to Council members for
an immediate and sustained response to the crisis, stressing
that humanitarian aid system in Sudan is paralysed 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.
“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.”
