Sudan Events – Agencies
UNICEF representative in Sudan, Mandeep O’Brien, considered the situation in the country to be a humanitarian disaster of enormous proportions, noting that 14 million children are in dire need of life-saving assistance, 17 million children are out of school, in addition to 7.5 million children not having access to clean water, while 4 million children are suffering from severe malnutrition.
She added: “The situation is truly horrific and is pushing Sudan towards a generational catastrophe.”
According to “Al-Taghyeer,” O’Brien said that the continuation of the war will leave an unimaginable horrific impact, noting that Sudan is a young country in which children under the age of 18 constitute 24 million of the population, and she continued, “The time for action has come.”
O’Brien stressed Sudan’s urgent need for peace, affirming the need for a ceasefire until this is achieved.
She said the country is in dire need of investments in health and education for the well-being of children who have been traumatized and need to recover from the effects of war.
UNICEF representative in Sudan affirmed that the organization remains in the Sudanese war conditions in order to deliver aid to children, noting that they are dealing with “all parties” on the ground so that no child is left behind.
She added: “We are working to reach children regardless of where they are or who controls the area.”
O’Brien said that the results achieved by UNICEF have given them hope and demonstrated their ability to transform difficult situations for children.
She announced in the context of her speech about the visit of UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell to Sudan on Tuesday, in her first visit since the outbreak of the war, with the aim of confirming UNICEF’s commitment to the issue of children and drawing attention.
O’Brien said that Russell will meet with officials in Port Sudan, but more importantly, she will visit communities and meet with Sudanese children and listen to them directly. “We are very much looking forward to her visit and her continued commitment to advocacy and mobilization for the children of Sudan.”
O’Brien participated on Monday in a conference organized for Sudanese children in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, which was held in partnership between a number of UN organizations, including UNICEF, Save the Children, and US Aid, under the slogan “Unite with the Children of Sudan.”
O’Brien said that the event represented solidarity with the children of Sudan after the devastating war entered its second year, pointing to the terrible effects on 24 million children, whom she described as “the future of the country.”
UNICEF representative in Sudan confirmed that the event represented unity to mobilize partners to commit to collective action for the children of Sudan, noting that they met with the children who sought refuge in Kenya, listened to them, and saw how much the war affected them.
