“This is not just a crisis, it is a poly-crisis affecting every sector, from health and nutrition to water, education and protection,” Catherine Russell, UNICEF Executive Director, told ambassadors in the Security Council.
Since war erupted between the former allies-turned-rivals, the Sudanese army (SAF) and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and their associated militias in April 2023, tens of thousands of civilians have been killed and more than 12 million forced to flee their homes – around 3.5 million as refugees in neighbouring countries.
Fertile farmlands have been decimated, famine declared in several areas and critical infrastructure – including hospitals – destroyed or abandoned in the fighting.
Heartbreaking situation
Children are bearing the brunt of the violence. UNICEF has received alarming reports of grave violations against children, including killings, sexual violence and forced recruitment into armed groups.
Between June and December 2024 alone, more than 900 cases of gross child rights violations were recorded, with 80 per cent involving killings or maiming.
“Children in Sudan are enduring unimaginable suffering and horrific violence. The last time I was in Sudan I met with families and children who are living through this nightmare. Their stories are heartbreaking – and demand immediate action,” Ms. Russell said.
She recounted abhorrent testimony of rape, warning that an estimated 12.1 million women and girls – and increasingly men and boys – are currently at risk of sexual violence, an 80 per cent increase from last year.
“The data only gives us a glimpse into what we know is a far larger, more devastating crisis.”
Aid blockades
Despite the dire need, humanitarian organizations face severe challenges in delivering aid.
Bureaucratic and administrative obstacles, as well as fluid frontlines, have made access unpredictable. Humanitarians are increasingly at risk of being extorted, attacked and killed.
More than 770,000 children are expected to suffer from severe acute malnutrition this year, many in areas cut off from humanitarian relief.
“Without lifesaving aid, many of these children will die,” Ms. Russell stressed. She urged the UN Security Council to pressure all parties to allow unimpeded humanitarian access, especially through key border crossings.
Urgent action needed
Ms. Russell concluded her remarks by stressing the urgent need for global action.
She called for the immediate protection of children and the essential infrastructure they depend on for survival and holding those responsible for violations, particularly sexual violence, accountable.
She also urged the Security Council to help secure humanitarian access so aid can reach those in need without delay and called for an end to military support for the warring parties.
Ms. Russell underscored the need for increased funding, noting that UNICEF alone requires $1 billion to provide lifesaving assistance to 8.7 million vulnerable children.
“Without these urgent actions, this crisis will further overwhelm Sudanese society and the suffering will increase exponentially, resulting in a generational catastrophe that threatens the future of Sudan, the region and beyond.”
Christopher Lockyear, Secretary General of Médecins Sans Frontières, addresses the Security Council.
Utter carnage at MSF hospital
Also briefing ambassadors, Christopher Lockyear, Secretary General of the humanitarian NGO Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders), described his visit to Sudan.
In Khartoum, he saw the aftermath of a RSF shelling attack on the Sabreen Market in Omdurman. The MSF-supported al-Nao Hospital, one of the few still operating in the area, was overwhelmed with patients suffering catastrophic injuries, he said.
“The hospital was a scene of utter carnage: waves of patients with catastrophic injuries filled every corner of the emergency room.”
“I witnessed the lives of men, women, and children being torn apart in front of men,” he said, adding that same week, SAF forces bombed a peanut oil factory and civilian neighbourhoods in Nyala, South Darfur, overwhelming an MSF-supported hospital.
These attacks were just some examples of how the “merciless” war is being waged.
The hospital was a scene of utter carnage: waves of patients with catastrophic injuries filled every corner of the emergency room
– Christopher Lockyear, MSF Secretary General
Immediate, sustained response needed
Mr. Lockyear appealed to Council members for an immediate and sustained response to the crisis, stressing that humanitarian aid system in Sudan is paralysed by bureaucratic delays, insecurity and political obstruction.
He underscored the need for a new “humanitarian compact” for Sudan that genuinely commits to protection of civilians, guarantees aid workers the operational space they need, brings the warring parties into alignment with humanitarian law – all underpinned by robust accountability mechanisms.
“However, even the strongest agreement will falter without the full engagement of donors and a more proactive approach from the UN Secretariat,” he said.
“To Member States: the response must be bolstered by increased and sustained funding. To the UN Secretary-General: full redeployment of UN humanitarian agencies must be mandated in Darfur and across Sudan.”
UN Security Council members meet to discuss the crisis in Sudan.