UNICEF’s Deputy Executive Director for Humanitarian Action and Supply Operations, Ted Chaiban, today (4 August) said despite children in Sudan “have consistently borne the brunt of recurring violence, upheaval, and displacement, the situation that they’re facing today is unprecedented,” and “however difficult things have been in the past, it’s never been this difficult.” Briefing reporters in New York on the situation of children affected by the conflict in Sudan, Chaiban said, “Before the war erupted on the 15th of April, Sudan was already grappling with a humanitarian crisis. Now more than 110 days of brutal fighting have turned the crisis into a catastrophe, threatening the lives and futures of a generation of children young people who make up over 70 percent of the population.” Chaiban, who is UNICEF Deputy Executive Director for Humanitarian Action and Supply Operations, said, “From what’s reported, 435 children have been killed in the conflict. At least 2025 children were injured. That’s an average of one child killed or injured every hour since the war began. And we know that that’s an underestimate. The true total is much, much, higher.” He said, “Everything’s been done to reach the population but as fighting continues, it makes access difficult, and we can’t overemphasize the fact that much is being done, but much more needs to be done.” He noted that for the next 100 days, UNICEF “would need urgently $400 million to sustain and scale the crisis response to support the most vulnerable children.” Also, briefing, OCHA’s Director of Operations and Advocacy Division Edem Wosornu said, “93 humanitarian partners reached at least 2.5 million people with some life-saving assistance across Sudan between April and June. Let’s not forget the target is 24 million people, who need humanitarian assistance. They are half the population of a country that before the 15th of April was doing not too bad. There were needs, but we were not targeting people in the capital.” Asked about ethnically targeted attacks, Wosornu said, “There are accounts from people saying that certain tribes are targeted more than others. And I think the focus right now in this briefing is on how we get assistance into the different areas of Khartoum, what Madani put it on to a lesser extent, the quarter funds, and how we stay and deliver, no matter what.” Chaiban and Wosornu recently returned from a visit to the country and the Chad-Sudan border.
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