UNICEF has again warned of a humanitarian catastrophe in Sudan. Because of the consequences of the civil war, hundreds of thousands of children are suffering from hunger and millions are fleeing. In addition, the risk of cholera is growing.
According to UNICEF, tens of thousands of children in Sudan are at risk of starvation. The UN aid agency has no access to many of the starving girls and boys in the conflict country, said spokesman James Elder in Geneva.
“The impact of the last 300 days means more than 700,000 children are likely to suffer from the deadliest form of malnutrition this year,” Elder said. UNICEF will not be able to treat more than 300,000 of them without improved access and additional support. In this case, tens of thousands would probably die.
Children are also raped, killed and recruited by the parties to the conflict.
Four million children fleeing violence
Fighting between the regular army and the paramilitary RSF militia in the African country since April last year has led to the largest child displacement crisis in the world, Elder said. Around four million children are fleeing violence.
More than 70 percent of the health facilities in the conflict-affected areas are no longer functional. Two thirds of the population have no access to health care.
In addition, the number of cholera cases more than doubled in the past month. By the end of January, more than 10,000 suspected cases and 300 deaths from cholera had been registered. Of these, 16 percent are children under the age of five.