“Unimaginable suffering” facing children in Sudan – UNICEF

Executive Director of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has said that Sudanese children are facing “unimaginable suffering” in the backdrop of the violence taking place in the conflict-hit nation, AL24 News reported on March 14th.

Speaking to UN Security Council ambassadors on March 13th, Catherine Russell said that following two years of conflict over 30 million people, half of which are children, are dealing with large-scale atrocities, famine, and life-threatening diseases.

According to the UN’s official website, Russell said: “This is not just a crisis; it is a multidimensional catastrophe affecting every sector, from health and nutrition to water, education, and protection.”

Since the start of the conflict between Sudan’s army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) during April 2023, tens of thousands of civilians have been killed and more than 12 million people have suffered displacement, which includes 3.5 million who have escaped to neighbouring nations.

Famine has also been recorded in a number of areas and vital structures, such as hospitals have been destructed or abandoned as a result of the conflict.

During the period of June to December last year, more than 900 extreme child rights violation cases were recorded.

Russell also said: “Sudanese children are enduring unimaginable suffering and horrifying violence.”

Russell added: “During my last visit to Sudan, I met families and children trapped in this nightmare. Their stories are heartbreaking—and demand immediate action.”

But whilst UNICEF has stressed that Sudan’s children need urgent support, it has also said that its delivery of aid in Lebanon is suffering due to aid cuts.

Cuts to US aid have reportedly forced UNICEF to halt or significantly reduce many of its programmes in Lebanon, with severe food poverty affecting more than half of children under two in the country’s eastern part, an official said on February 28th, Asharq Al-Awsat reported.

“We have had no choice but to suspend, scale back, or drastically cut many of our initiatives, including crucial nutrition programmes,” Ettie Higgins, UNICEF’s deputy representative in Lebanon, told reporters via video link from Beirut to Geneva.

A UNICEF report found that the number of children experiencing food shortages in Lebanon’s eastern Bekaa and Baalbek regions have more than doubled compared to two years ago. The report examined the effects of 14 months of conflict between Hezbollah and Israel, which began in October 2023.

“The assessment revealed a grim picture of children’s nutrition situation, particularly in the Baalbek and Bekaa governorates, which remained densely populated when they were repeatedly targeted by airstrikes,” Higgins said.

The report revealed that nearly 80% of families urgently need assistance, and 31% of households lack sufficient drinking water, putting them in danger of disease.

UNICEF expressed deep concern over the consequences of both US funding cuts and a wider decline in global humanitarian aid. “More than half a million children and their families (in Lebanon) risk losing critical cash support from UN agencies this month. These cuts would strip the most vulnerable of their last lifeline, leaving them unable to afford even the most basic necessities,” Higgins warned, according to Reuters.

Earlier in January, it was announced that the US would redirect $95 million in military aid from Egypt to Lebanon to bolster the Lebanese Armed Forces and maintain the ceasefire agreement with Israel.

As of now, only 26% of UNICEF’s 2025 funding appeal for Lebanon has been funded.

The conflict in Lebanon came to a halt in November due to a ceasefire. The fighting erupted on October 8th 2023, when Hezbollah launched an attack on Israel in support of its Palestinian ally Hamas.

In January 2024, President Donald Trump ordered a 90-day freeze on all foreign aid to conduct a review to garantee its alignment with his “America First” policy. On February 26th, his administration announced it would slash over 90% of USAID’s contracts.

In a further indication of tightening US foreign aid, the Trump administration also ordered most USAID staff to take leave, Al Jazeera reported on February 5th.

AL24, Asharq Al-Awsat, Al Jazeera