UNICEF Calls on Sudan's Rivals to Protect Children as Fighting Escalates

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) urged on Thursday Sudan's rival factions to ensure that children are not caught in the line of fire.

In a statement, UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell said: "The situation in Sudan is teetering toward catastrophe, and children are increasingly caught in the crossfire. While we are unable to confirm estimates due to the intensity of the violence, UNICEF has received reports that 190 children have been killed and another 1,700 injured in Sudan since the conflict erupted almost three weeks ago."

"For the sake of Sudan’s children, the violence must stop," Russell spelled out.

She continued: "As in any conflict, children are the most vulnerable and every effort must be made to keep them out of harm’s way. UNICEF calls on parties to the conflict to abide by their legal obligations under international humanitarian law and ensure that children are not caught in the line of fire."

"This includes stopping all attacks on health centers, schools, and water and sanitation systems and other infrastructure on which children rely," Russell noted.

"Children have been living amid terrifying violence for nearly three weeks, and countless families are now on the move to safety in Sudan and beyond its borders. Humanitarian workers have also been attacked, while humanitarian facilities, vehicles, and supplies – including those of UNICEF – have been looted or destroyed," she underlined with a sweeping perspective of what was at stake in Sudan's crisis.

"These attacks are undermining our capacity to reach children across the country with lifesaving health, nutrition, water, and sanitation services," UNICEF Executive Director said. "It is critical that parties to the conflict adhere to international law by ensuring that humanitarian actors can safely operate on the ground to support civilians in need."

In the same connection, she affirmed the need for unlimited, unimpeded, and uninterrupted imports of humanitarian and essential commercial supplies, including food and fuel, by sea, air, and road, noting that no matter who controls these areas.

UNICEF also calls for a long-term political solution to the crisis, so that Sudan’s children can grow up in an environment of peace and look ahead to a more hopeful future, concluded the statement.