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, Xinhua news agency reported.
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.
MA/PR
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