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13 August 2024 (Port Sudan) – Sudan’s ongoing conflict has left countless women and girls exposed to sexual violence and put tens of thousands of children at risk of starvation, UN aid officials warned on Tuesday.
James Elder, a spokesman for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), described a health worker he met at a hospital outside Khartoum who had come across “hundreds of women and girls who had been raped, some as young as eight years old.” The health worker also spoke of “the distressing number of babies born as a result of rape who were abandoned.”
Elder stressed that “countless atrocities” against children go unreported due to limited access, and warned that tens of thousands of Sudanese children could die in the coming months if urgent action is not taken. Disease outbreaks exacerbated by flooding pose a serious threat.
The UN migration agency, the International Organization for Migration, echoed these concerns. Mohamed Refat, head of the IOM mission in Sudan, highlighted the staggering scale of displacement, with more than 10.7 million people seeking asylum in the country. Many have been displaced multiple times.
“Almost the entire capital has been displaced,” said Refat, with the number of internally displaced people in Khartoum exceeding one-third.
Both UNICEF and IOM stressed that reaching vulnerable people remains a persistent challenge due to the conflict, with many trapped in “extremely harsh war environments” without access to basic services.
The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) recently reported famine conditions in parts of North Darfur and near famine in 13 more districts. The conflict has disrupted agriculture and supply chains, exacerbating the food crisis.
UN agencies have called for urgent action to address Sudan’s humanitarian crisis and protect civilians, especially women and children.
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