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Malnourished child in Sudan (archive)

Photo: NICHOLE SOBECKI / AFP

Dramatic appeal: The UN children's agency Unicef ​​has warned of serious consequences for children in Sudan because of the fighting that has been going on in the northeast African crisis state for months. Without improved access and additional support, Unicef ​​would be "not in a position" to help more than 300,000 of the 700,000 children at acute risk of malnutrition, said Unicef ​​spokesman James Elder on Friday in Geneva. "Tens of thousands will probably die."

In addition, there was a “500 percent increase” in murders, sexual violence and the recruitment of child soldiers within a year, Elder said. These numbers are “just the tip of the iceberg.”

The Unicef ​​spokesman called on the international community to make more efforts towards a ceasefire in Sudan and further aid for the suffering population. The world must stop ignoring the catastrophic situation, he said. “Where will our collective humanity be if we allow this situation to continue?”

Since mid-April, the troops of military ruler Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the RSF militia of his former deputy Mohamed Hamdan Daglo have been engaged in a power struggle in Sudan. The result:

  • It is estimated that at least 13,000 people were killed.

  • According to the latest UN figures, eight million people have been displaced in Sudan, half of whom are minors.

  • This has been “13,000 children every single day” for 300 days, said Elder.

Aid groups have repeatedly warned of a worsening humanitarian crisis and health care problems:

  • More than half of the country's approximately 25 million inhabitants are dependent on aid.

  • According to the UN, almost 18 million of them are affected by acute food insecurity.

In Sudan, long-time head of state Omar al-Bashir was overthrown in 2019 after months of mass protests. Al-Burhan seized power after a military coup in October 2021. He dismissed the government that was supposed to lead the transition to democratic elections. The trigger for the fighting was the planned integration of the RSF militia into the army. This was seen as a key step in the plan to transfer power back to a civilian government.

dop/AFP