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Sudan’s Children Bear the Worst the World Has to Offer

Moatinoon
Ted Chaiban, UNICEF’s Deputy Executive Director, expressed deep concern over what he witnessed during his recent visit to Khartoum and Darfur. Chaiban said Sudan is facing the world’s largest humanitarian crisis, where the conflict continues to escalate and children are paying the highest price.

Speaking at a press conference today in New York, he said violence is tearing communities apart across Sudan every day. He recounted his conversation in Jebel Marra with women and children who fled the siege of El Fasher, passing through a series of armed checkpoints where they were stripped of all possessions and money, harassed and attacked, and left utterly broken with nothing remaining.

“I heard harrowing stories of families who went hungry for days,” he said.

In Darfur and Kordofan, severe acute malnutrition is worsening. About 1.4 million children are living in or near famine-affected areas, and thousands will die without urgent treatment. In North Darfur alone, around 150,000 children are expected to suffer from severe acute malnutrition this year — the most deadly form. In Tawila, the number of cases has surged from hundreds to more than 2,000 per month since April. Tawila is a key gathering point for those fleeing El Fasher.

Chaiban added that 14 million children are out of school — that’s 4 out of every 5 children in Sudan, meaning an entire generation is growing up without education. “Parents told me their children haven’t seen a classroom in years,” he said.

He noted that violence has robbed children of their safety, adding that UNICEF has verified at least 350 grave violations, including killings and maimings, in North Darfur over just six months. Diseases, he added, are spreading everywhere.

“The city of El Fasher has been under siege for over sixteen months,” Chaiban said. “130,000 children are trapped, deprived of food, water, and healthcare. There is no safe way in or out.”

“Amid all the devastation I witnessed, I also saw resilience,” he continued. “Communities repairing schools so their children can resume learning. In child-friendly spaces, children laughed and played — drawing the homes they lost and the dreams they still hold for the future.”