Nairobi — The United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) has called for urgent action to support millions of Sudanese children whose lives have been devastated by the ongoing conflict.
During the "Unite with the Children of Sudan" event in Nairobi this week, UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell highlighted the severe impact of the war on Sudan's youth, describing the situation as a potential generational catastrophe.
"All of Sudan's children have been impacted by the ongoing war. Without urgent action, the country faces a generational catastrophe with far-reaching implications for Sudan and the wider region," Russell stated.
Since the conflict began in April 2023, 24 million children have been at risk, with 17 out of 19 million children out of school for a year, facing starvation, lack of education, and essential health services, including immunization. Nearly 5 million children have been displaced, and 4 million are projected to face acute malnutrition this year, pushing Sudan towards famine and catastrophic loss of life.
"Schools have been closed since April 15, 2023, depriving nearly all of Sudan's 19 million school-aged children of education and safety. Millions more are vulnerable to deadly disease outbreaks," Russell added.
The "Unite with the Children of Sudan" event, held at Shamba Café in Nairobi, featured testimonies from children and artists about the war's impact, calling for an end to the violence and a path towards peace. Taha, a 12-year-old from Khartoum, expressed a simple wish: "I just want to go home."
The event, co-organized by UNICEF, USAID, and Save the Children, included an art and photo exhibit by Sudanese artists to raise awareness and mobilize support for addressing the children's crisis in Sudan. A panel discussion featured Russell, Tyler Beckelman (USAID Assistant Administrator), David Barth (Save the Children US Vice President of International Programs), and Clementine Nkweta-Salami (UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Sudan), all calling for an urgent ceasefire.
"No one wants to be forced to leave their homes, their friends, their communities. What I have heard from the children here today is that they want to be able to go home to their old lives, to their friends and families, and to their schools. They want their country and their futures back," said Russell.
UNICEF urged the protection of all children and humanitarian aid access across Sudan, emphasizing that the country now has the largest displacement of children anywhere, with millions facing malnutrition and most not in school.
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"The challenge is not that we don't have the food, it's that we can't get it to the people who need it. And that is really a crisis," Russell told the BBC en route to Sudan.
Sudan's brutal civil war has led to the collapse of its food economy, with both the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) restricting the delivery of aid. The RSF, accused of plundering resources, has besieged El Fasher, a city of nearly two million people, for over a month. Russell described the crisis as "100% man-made."
"Sudan has the highest number of displaced children in the world - five million - and nearly all of its children are out of school, in danger of becoming a lost generation that could contribute to future instability," Russell said. "If we don't do something, it's hard to imagine how bad it will be."
As Russell adds her voice to calls for an end to the fighting, she acknowledges the limited international attention due to conflicts in Gaza, Ukraine, and Haiti. "We need to focus on this right now. This is quite dire. And if we don't do something, it's hard to imagine how bad it will be."
