Ajit Karn
The World Health Organization (WHO) reported that 413 people have died in the current conflict in Sudan, while the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) reported that at least nine children have been killed and more than 50 severely injured in the fighting, according to Turkish News Agency Anadolu.
413 people have died and 3,551 injuries, in sudan conflict according to the Sudanese government, WHO spokesperson Margaret Harris reported at a UN press conference.
The battling is a continuation of ongoing clashes between the country’s army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
She reported 11 confirmed assaults on healthcare facilities, including 10 since April 15.
“According to the Sudanese Ministry of Health, twenty health facilities have ceased operations. In addition, according to Ministry of Health data, 12 health facilities are at risk of closing,” said Harris.
The WHO spokesperson was quoted by Anadolu as saying, “This means that all those people who require care are impacted, and this includes not only those who have been injured by hearings and terrible fighting, but also those who required treatment before and will require treatment in the future.”
At the same press conference, James Elder, a spokesperson for UNICEF, stated, “As always, the violence has a devastating impact on children.
There are now allegations of at least nine children killed and at least fifty children injured. As long as fighting persists, these figures will continue to rise,” he added.
A significant number of people are reportedly trapped without access to electricity, according to Elder, as reported by Anadolu.
“They are terrified of running out of food, water, and medicine,” he said, adding, “One of our greatest concerns involves hospitals that have been burned.”
Elder stated that Sudan already had one of the highest infant malnutrition rates in the world.
The UNICEF spokesperson stated, “We now have a situation where critical life-saving aid for approximately 50,000 children is at risk.”
Elder stated that the conflict also threatens “the cold chain” in Sudan, including vaccines and insulin worth over USD 40 million, due to power outages and the inability to refuel generators.
Anadolu reported that UNICEF has received reports of children taking refuge in schools and care centers as fighting rages around them and of children’s hospitals being forced to evacuate as bombardment approaches.
Elder stated that prior to the escalation of violence in Sudan, the humanitarian requirements of the country’s children were high, with an estimated three-quarters of children living in extreme poverty.
Simultaneously, 11.5 million children and community members required emergency water and sanitation services, 7 million children were out of school, and over 600,000 children were severely malnourished.
Anadolu reported on Saturday that fighting broke out between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in and around the capital Khartoum.
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In October 2021, the military dismissed Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok’s transitional government and proclaimed a state of emergency in what political forces termed a “coup.”
