The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has warned that 16 million children in Sudan are enduring severe hardship due to the country’s ongoing civil war, facing constant threats of violence, starvation, disease, and sexual assault.
Speaking at a UN Security Council meeting on Thursday, UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell described the dire situation, saying that fighting is taking place around children’s homes, schools, and hospitals across Sudan.
Children under the age of five are particularly vulnerable, with over 1.3 million living in famine hotspots and another 3 million at risk of diseases such as cholera, malaria, and dengue due to the collapse of the healthcare system. Additionally, at least 16.5 million young people are out of school.
Russell also revealed that 221 cases of child rape were reported across nine of Sudan’s 18 states last year, with two-thirds of the victims being girls. Shockingly, some victims were as young as one year old.
“The trauma these children experience will not simply disappear with a ceasefire or peace agreement,” she said, stressing the need for long-term support to help them recover.
Christopher Lockyear, Secretary-General of Doctors Without Borders (MSF), confirmed similar findings, stating that his teams treated 385 survivors of sexual violence last year. Many victims, including girls under five, were raped—often by armed men. Nearly half of the assaults occurred while women and girls were working in fields.
The brutal conflict, which erupted in April 2023 between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and the Sudanese Armed Forces, has spread from the capital, Khartoum, to much of the country, including Darfur. The UN has accused both sides of committing grave human rights abuses.
Lockyear recounted his recent visit to Sudan, describing a scene of “utter carnage” at a hospital in Omdurman, near Khartoum.
“I witnessed the lives of men, women, and children being torn apart in front of me,” he told the Security Council, adding that repeated calls for an end to the war have gone ignored.
“While statements are made in this chamber, civilians remain unseen, unprotected, bombed, besieged, raped, displaced, and deprived of food, medical care, and dignity,” he said, stressing that the crisis should weigh heavily on global consciences.
UNICEF is seeking $1 billion this year to provide lifesaving aid to 8.7 million Sudanese children, including nutrition, healthcare, water, and education. Russell and Lockyear urged the Security Council to press for humanitarian access and ensure the removal of obstacles hindering aid delivery.
