Catherine Russell told the UN Security Council on Thursday about the "unimaginable suffering and horrific violence" that children in Sudan are enduring, while the nearly two-year-long war still has no end in sight.
An estimated 1.3 million children live in areas where famine prevails. More than 770,000 children are also expected to suffer from "severe acute malnutrition" this year, and without help, many of them will die, according to Russell.
The war broke out in April 2023 when long-standing tensions between military and paramilitary leaders erupted in the capital Khartum. Since then, at least 20,000 people have been killed, but the figure is believed to be higher. More than 14 million people have also been displaced from their homes.
80 percent of the more than 900 serious incidents against children reported during the last six months of 2024 were either murders or mutilations, according to Russell.
Unfortunately, we know that these figures are only a fraction of the reality, she says.
Sexual violence is being used to terrorize the population, and according to Russell, an estimated 12.1 million women and girls are at risk of being exposed – but there is also an increased risk among men and boys. This is an increase of 80 percent since last year.
