UNICEF has warned that the ongoing nine-month conflict between rival generals in Sudan poses a grave threat to the well-being of the country’s 24 million children, terming it a potential “generational catastrophe.”
In an interview with AFP on Thursday, UNICEF’s representative in Sudan, Mandeep O’Brien, emphasized the severe risks the conflict poses to the health and future of Sudan’s children.
O’Brien highlighted that the repercussions of the war extend beyond Sudan’s borders, significantly impacting the wider region. Since mid-April, the power struggle between army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and RSF Commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, has resulted in a death toll of at least 12,190, according to estimates by the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data project.
Additionally, over seven million people have been displaced, including 3.5 million children, leading to what O’Brien describes as “the largest displacement crisis in the world.”
Expressing concern over the dire situation, O’Brien emphasized that Sudan, already one of the world’s poorest countries, faces an “unthinkable” future if the conflict persists.
Urging for peace, she stressed the need to avert a potential generational catastrophe, as nearly 20 million children in Sudan may miss out on education this year without immediate intervention.
With violence, shortages, and looting affecting nearly all regions of the country, O’Brien revealed that 14 million children urgently require emergency humanitarian aid.
The situation underscores the critical need for swift international action to address the escalating crisis in Sudan.
