UN agencies on Thursday expressed concern over the impact of fighting on civilians in Sudan, where the humanitarian situation was already dire.
The World Health Organization reported more than 330 people killed during six days of fighting in the capital city of Khartoum and several other states, including Darfur. Another 3,200 people were injured.
The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said at least nine children were reportedly killed in the fighting and more than 50 children were injured.
UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell said the perilous security situation across Sudan makes it very difficult to collect and verify the information. But UNICEF is certain that while fighting continues, children will continue to pay the price.
The fighting has disrupted critical, life-saving care for an estimated 50,000 severely acutely malnourished children, who need ongoing, round-the-clock care, which is being put at risk by the escalating violence, she added.
Russell said the fighting also puts at risk the cold chain in Sudan, including vaccines and insulin worth over 40 million U.S. dollars, due to the breaks in the power supply and the inability to restock generators with fuel.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said people have been unable to safely leave their homes to buy food and other essentials for days now. Humanitarian pauses must be ensured to enable the safe passage of civilians so that they can seek medical care and access basic provisions.
The humanitarian response in Sudan is severely hampered, said OCHA.
Many states have interrupted humanitarian activities. Attacks against aid workers and looting of humanitarian facilities must stop, it said.
Earlier in the week, fighting shuttered several hospitals in Khartoum and across Sudan.
OCHA and humanitarian partners are mobilizing resources in the region to replenish stocks and ensure a rapid response once the security situation allows, said the office. “A staggering 15.8 million people in Sudan, one-third of the population, already were in need of humanitarian assistance.”
The World Food Programme warns that the fighting in Sudan could plunge millions more into hunger.
The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) is also greatly alarmed by the escalating violence as the first refugees fleeing Sudan have found safety in Chad.
In the past few days, an estimated 10,000 to 20,000 people have fled the conflict in Sudan’s Darfur region to seek refuge in neighbouring Chad, mostly women and children, said the UNHCR.
