Khartoum / Amsterdam — The renewed drone attacks in Blue Nile, Khartoum, and other parts of Sudan pose an exponential threat to children. "This escalation is hindering our ability to deliver services and supplies to those who need them, and it means that children will die," the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) representative in Sudan, Sheldon Yett, warns.
Speaking to Radio Dabanga, Yett confirms that the renewed escalation in drone attacks in Blue Nile, Khartoum, and other parts of the country poses an exponential threat to children. "This escalation is hindering our ability to deliver services and supplies to those who need them, and it means that children will die." He continues: "We are seeing an increase in attacks on humanitarian supplies and humanitarian infrastructure, and this must come to an end."
He warns that unless these attacks stop, more children will lose their lives. He adds: "We must ensure the safety of humanitarian infrastructure and protect it from this war."
He stresses that UNICEF is not reducing the scope of its operations in Khartoum or elsewhere in the country, pledging to continue doing whatever is necessary to ensure supplies reach children.
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The UNICEF representative says: "We are currently working to expand the presence of our staff in Khartoum. Of course, we want to ensure the safety of our staff. But this will not stop our activities, nor will it slow them down. It simply means that we need to find other ways of getting things done."
Yett says the organisation needs to put contingency plans in place. He adds: "But we are moving ahead as quickly as possible to continue delivering services in Khartoum." He goes on to say: "At its heart, the crisis in Sudan really is a child protection crisis. As the conflict enters its fourth year, the number of unaccompanied children continues to rise."
Unaccompanied children
Yett confirms that UNICEF is working with local non-governmental organisations, community groups, international NGOs, government partners and a wide range of other partners to identify children who have been separated from their families and parents, and to reunite them in order to ensure their safe return home.
He points to the need to ensure effective case management systems and referral systems capable of consistently reaching these children in the most remote parts of the country, stressing that strengthening prevention measures is essential.
He explains that reinforcing efforts to prevent family separation and addressing issues such as human trafficking and the recruitment of children into armed conflict are critically important as the crisis continues to worsen.
The UNICEF Representative in Sudan also expresses regret that the needs still exceed the resources available to the organisation. He stresses that UNICEF is giving the matter priority, but that safe, sustainable and unrestricted access to all communities and all children remains central to its response. He adds: "We need to continue working with all our partners to make sure that happens."
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