‘All We Want for Sudan Is Peace,’ Say Children Fleeing Violence

At 16, she witnessed armed men attack her village, killing people, including her grandfather and uncle. Girls were raped or taken.

“Nahed managed to escape but said it was terrifying,” said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell, who shared Nahed’s story on Tuesday. “The chilling memories remain.”

Sudan is facing a major humanitarian crisis since the 2023 conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces, which now controls El Fasher in North Darfur after a prolonged siege.

Ms. Russell urged for action to protect children and essential services after visiting the country, where 10 million people have been displaced, half of them children.

‘Unrelenting violence’

During her visit to Kassala, Ms. Russell met women and teenage girls receiving support at a UNICEF-supported center. Many fled violence and found safety at the center, but such services are scarce in Darfur and Kordofan due to ongoing insecurity.

“Children in Sudan are living through unrelenting violence, hunger, and fear,” said Ms. Russell. “Women and girls are greatly affected by the crisis, including horrific sexual violence.”

Fabrizia Falcione, UNFPA country representative, reported meeting survivors in El Fasher who lost everything, including a 17-year-old girl with a child born from rape. None had received antenatal care before birth.

“They preferred not going to the hospital rather than risking their lives getting there.”

We need toilets and bread

When Ms. Falcione asked displaced women about their needs, they said toilets and bread. Earning a living was third.

“No toilets near their tents, no lights at night,” said Ms. Falcione. “And these are pregnant women without men in their households.”

In North Darfur, fighting in and around El Fasher has forced over 106,000 people to flee since late October, overwhelming reception sites and creating informal settlements like Tawila.

UNFPA is providing maternal care and psychosocial services for gender-based violence survivors, while UNICEF is registering unaccompanied children, restoring water access, and more.

Ms. Russell said children everywhere in Sudan shared the same wish with her.

“‘All we want for Sudan is peace.’ The world must do better to fulfill that wish.”