Sudan conflict displaces one million children: UNICEF

Khartoum: The UN children's agency reported that more than one million children had been displaced by the fighting in Sudan, including 270,000 in the Darfur region, and warned that many more are at "grave risk."

Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, the commander of the army, and Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, his former deputy and the head of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), have been engaged in violent conflict in Sudan since mid-April, AFP reported.

UNICEF said in a statement on Thursday that in addition to the more than one million people who have been displaced, at least 330 children have died and more than 1,900 others have been injured.

“Many more are at grave risk.”

Mandeep O’Brien, UNICEF representative in Sudan, said: “The future of Sudan is at stake, and we cannot accept the continued loss and suffering of its children.

“Children are trapped in an unrelenting nightmare, bearing the heaviest burden of a violent crisis they had no hand in creating — caught in the crossfire, injured, abused, displaced and subjected to disease and malnutrition,” he added.

13 million children, according to UNICEF, are in "dire need" of humanitarian aid.

The UN agency said it was ready to assist them but called for “safe, unrestricted access and guaranteed security to all areas where children are in desperate need.”

It stated that the situation in the western part of Darfur, where it is estimated that the war has forced 270,000 children to flee their homes, was particularly worrying.

“The situation in West and Central Darfur, in particular, is characterised by active fighting, severe insecurity and looting of humanitarian supplies and facilities,” said UNICEF.

“The lack of safe water has left hundreds of thousands of children at risk of dehydration, diarrhea, and malnutrition,” it added.

Aid workers have been warning for several weeks that Sudan's economy and healthcare system are in danger of collapsing.

Three-quarters of hospitals in battle zones are unfit for use, according to the Sudanese doctors' Organisation.

With the upcoming rainy season posing a threat to render some areas of the country inaccessible and increasing the risks of malaria, cholera, and water-borne infections, the situation is predicted to get worse.

According to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project, the ongoing violence in Sudan has resulted in more than 2,000 fatalities.

According to the International Organisation for Migration, the violence has forced 2.2 million people from their homes, including 528,000 who have emigrated to nearby nations.