“Children Reduced to Skin and Bones”: UNICEF Warns of Looming Catastrophe in War-Torn Sudan.
Sudan:
The humanitarian crisis in Sudan, described as the world’s largest, is pushing children to the brink of famine, malnutrition, and death, according to UNICEF Representative Sheldon Yett. Speaking at a press briefing in Geneva after a recent field mission across the conflict-ravaged country, Yett issued an emotional and urgent plea for global action.
“Children are reduced to skin and bones. Families have fled for safety, living in overcrowded, unsanitary shelters. Health centers are overwhelmed. Access to food, clean water, and basic healthcare is scarce – and worsening every day,” Yett said.
Yett visited the devastated Khartoum and Aj Jazeera States, where he witnessed firsthand the scale of destruction and suffering. In Jebel Aulia, a locality facing extreme famine risk, he saw children crammed into muddy, inaccessible streets and families living in incomplete or damaged buildings.
Jebel Aulia and nearby areas account for 37% of the state’s malnutrition burden. UNICEF says cholera has spread rapidly in these overcrowded and under-resourced neighborhoods, where only a few clinics are still functioning, and those are beyond capacity.
“In these areas, the rains are turning roads into impassable mud, isolating vulnerable communities further. Malnutrition is rife. Families are watching their children waste away before their eyes,” said Yett.
Despite the danger and logistical challenges, UNICEF and its partners are working on the ground to support children with nutrition, healthcare, water and sanitation, and education. In Jebel Aulia alone, they have reopened access after months of insecurity and are providing treatment for severe acute malnutrition, clean water, and safe spaces for children.
However, funding cuts are severely impacting humanitarian operations. “Our partners are being forced to scale back just as access is being restored and needs are skyrocketing. The current response is at its limit. We urgently need more resources and safe, consistent access,” Yett stressed.
With Sudan’s civil war now in its second year, children in frontline areas like Al Fasher, Dilling, and Kadugli remain cut off from any humanitarian aid. “Every day without access is a death sentence for many children,” Yett warned.
One displaced mother’s words echoed the emotional toll: “Since the war started, my daughter has fallen into a state of silence, and I can feel her heart racing with fear.”
UNICEF is urging world leaders and donors to act swiftly to prevent irreversible damage to a generation. “This is not a hypothetical crisis. This is a catastrophe unfolding in real time,” Yett concluded. “The world must not look away. Not now.”
