UNICEF calls for urgent action for 5 mln displaced children in Sudan

UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) on Tuesday called for urgent action to safeguard 5 million children displaced by conflict in Sudan, where famine has been declared in parts of Darfur and Kordofan regions.

UNICEF estimates that 10 million people have been displaced in Sudan -- half of them children, marking the highest level of child displacement in the world.

The agency said children trapped in besieged and hard-to-reach areas, including in Darfur and Kordofan, are especially vulnerable as access to food, safe water and medical supplies has been largely cut off. Newly displaced children arrive exhausted, dehydrated and in urgent need of protection, nutrition and medical support.

"Children in Sudan are living through unrelenting violence, hunger and fear," said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell, who is visiting the country. "Women and girls are bearing the brunt of the crisis, including horrific levels of sexual violence. They need protection, services, and global solidarity."

Russell said that during a stop in Kassala, she met women and adolescent girls receiving psychosocial support and skills training at a UNICEF-supported center. Many fled violence and found care and safety at the center. But similar services are extremely limited in Darfur and Kordofan due to ongoing insecurity.

In North Darfur, fighting in and around El Fasher has forced more than 106,000 people to flee since late October, overwhelming reception sites and turning areas like Tawila into vast informal settlements.

Despite ongoing support efforts, insecurity continues to impede UNICEF's humanitarian response. Famine conditions have been confirmed in parts of Darfur and Kordofan and risk spreading further.

Families attempting to escape conflict zones face dangerous routes and many arrive in safer areas distressed. Children in front-line areas are often left without psychosocial care, support for survivors of gender-based violence, and other basic services.

UNICEF said recent efforts include identifying and registering unaccompanied and separated children, leading to more than 200 reunifications in North Darfur; providing gender-based violence support such as psychosocial care, referrals and cash assistance; and offering psychological support to thousands of children and caregivers in high-risk locations.

The agency has also restored access to safe water for hundreds of thousands of people and is using mobile clinics and partner facilities to provide health and nutrition services, and respond to disease outbreaks, including cholera.

The United Nations continues to call for an immediate end to the violence and urges all parties to uphold international humanitarian law and to ensure the safety and dignity of every child and civilian. ■