Unicef warns 825,000 children trapped in Sudan battle

At least 825,000 Sudanese children are trapped by fighting around the beleaguered state capital of North Darfur, threatened by violence or starvation, Unicef warned.

"We cannot turn a blind eye to this hell on earth," said Sheldon Yett, the UN children's agency representative for Sudan, demanding an end to the conflict. The Sudanese army has been fighting the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) for almost two years, and the town of El-Fasher in North Darfur is under siege.

"An estimated 825,000 children are trapped in a growing catastrophe in and around El-Fasher," said Yett, adding that more than 70 children have been killed or maimed this year.

"With these numbers reflecting only verified incidents, it is likely the true toll is far higher, with children in a daily struggle to survive," he said.

In North Darfur, more than 60,000 people have been displaced in the past six weeks, adding to the more than 600,000 displaced — including 300,000 children — since the war started in April 2023.

The war between General Abdel Fattah Al Burhan's army and Mohamed Hamdan Daglo's RSF has claimed tens of thousands of lives and driven 12 million people from their homes.

A few weeks ago, Doctors Without Borders (MSF) and the UN World Food Programme suspended their work in a huge displaced persons camp in Zamzam, just south of El Fasher.

Unicef, however, continues to operate there and in the city itself, but food supplies are expected to run out within weeks.

"Unicef delivered ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF), and other lifesaving supplies to Al Fasher three months ago, but these stocks are now depleted," Yett said. "Repeated efforts by UNICEF and partners to deliver more supplies have been unsuccessful given threats from armed fighters and criminal gangs."

Agence France-Presse