UN Spokesman Stephane Dujarric, on Tuesday, during a press briefing in New York, said the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has called for urgent action to safeguard children and essential services.
He said the UN has been specifically highlighting the plight of children as a result of the war and that UNICEF estimates that 10 million people have been displaced in Sudan, half of whom are children.
“This is the highest level of child displacement in the world,” he stated. “UNICEF reports that children trapped in besieged and hard-to-reach areas, including in the Darfur and Kordofan regions, are especially vulnerable, where access to food, water, and medical supplies remains practically cut off.”
“Newly displaced children arrive exhausted, dehydrated, and in urgent need of protection, nutrition, and medical support,” he added.
According to Dujarric, UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell, who is currently in Sudan, met with Government officials in Port Sudan, as well as with displaced women and children.
“As is too often the case, she underscored, women and girls are bearing the brunt of the crisis, including horrific levels of sexual violence. They need protection, services, and global solidarity,” he said. “As you well know, famine has been declared in parts of Darfur and Kordofan regions, with the risk of that famine spreading. Despite severe access constraints, UNICEF is delivering assistance across the country wherever it can.”
“We continue to call for an immediate end to the violence and for all parties to uphold their obligations under international humanitarian law, and ensure the safety and dignity of every child and civilian in this horrific crisis,” Dujarric added.
Turning to South Sudan, he said UNMISS has been encouraged by renewed efforts from the country’s leaders to reinvigorate political dialogue.
“The Mission said today (Tuesday) that meaningful progress towards sustainable peace and credible elections requires an immediate end to violence nationwide,” Dujarric said. “The Mission remains deeply concerned by ongoing hostilities, such as aerial bombardments, armed confrontations, and intercommunal clashes, that continue to cause loss of life, widespread displacement, and the destruction of property, including critical humanitarian infrastructure.”