Sudan is currently one of the worst places in the world for children, according to Catherine Russell, head of the United Nations Children’s Agency, UNICEF.
Ms. Russell highlighted that Sudan now has the largest number of displaced children globally, with millions suffering from malnutrition and most not attending school.
She is visiting Sudan amidst warnings of an impending famine, as the country endures over a year of brutal civil war. The conflict has caused the collapse of Sudan’s food economy, with both the Sudanese army and the paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces (RSF) restricting the delivery of crucial aid.
Children are the most affected by this crisis. Ms. Russell told the BBC in Nairobi that nine million children in Sudan do not have enough to eat regularly, and nearly four million are acutely malnourished.
“We need to act now, or it’s just going to get worse,” she urged. “Progress is always possible, but for children who are starving and severely malnourished now, it will soon be too late.”
Earlier this month, a food security expert told the BBC that by September, 70% of Sudan’s population could be extremely hungry, potentially leading to millions of deaths. “It could be as many as four million. There is just not enough food,” said Timmo Gaasbeek.
The Sudanese Armed Forces and RSF have divided the country, leading to a humanitarian catastrophe. The army has blocked food deliveries across conflict lines into RSF-controlled areas. Meanwhile, RSF fighters are accused of plundering resources and besieging the city of El Fasher, home to nearly two million people, for over a month.
Ms. Russell could not confirm whether hunger is being used as a weapon of war but stated that the crisis is “100% man-made.” She emphasized that the main challenge is not the lack of food but the inability to deliver it to those in need.
Sudan has the highest number of displaced children in the world, with five million displaced and nearly all children out of school. This situation risks creating a lost generation that could contribute to future instability.
“It’s hard to re-teach them due to lost learning, and it’s hard to get them back into the classroom,” she explained. “They can become lost, and this could lead to an unstable future.”
Ms. Russell plans to call for an end to the fighting, although previous UN and US efforts for peace have failed. She acknowledged the limited international focus on Sudan due to other global conflicts.
“I’m going to Sudan to draw attention to this dire situation,” she said. “If we don’t act now, the future looks very bleak.”
