Caught in a vice of protracted conflict, Sudanese children are desperate for a return to normalcy. Since the beginning of the clashes in April 2023, the country has been plunged into an unprecedented humanitarian crisis marked by incessant violence, massive displacement of populations and a looming food crisis. Despite the horrors they endure, Sudanese youth remain hopeful that their nation will rise again and find peace.
On April 15, 2023, shots and explosions rang out in the streets of the Sudanese capital, Khartoum. Since then, the country has plunged into a political crisis and a civil war.
The current conflict pits Gen. Abdel-Fattah al-Burhan, head of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and de facto ruler of Sudan since the 2021 putsch, against his former second-in-command Mohamed Hamdane Daglo, known as Hemedti, head of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
In 2021, the two generals ousted together the civilians with whom they had shared power since the fall of dictator Omar al-Bashir in 2019. But they then divided on the question of integrating paramilitaries into the army. Having never managed to sign an agreement supposed to relaunch a democratic transition, the fighting began a year ago: Paramilitary forces claim the capture of several key infrastructures. The army carries out airstrikes against paramilitary bases. The U.N. World Food Program (WFP) suspended its aid on April 16, 2023, after the death of several humanitarian workers in fighting in Darfur, a vast region in the west bordering Chad.
Thousands of residents of Khartoum are fleeing the fighting, and many countries are evacuating their nationals. Truces are signed, but the agreements have never been respected since the army and RSF constantly accuse one another of breaking the cease-fire terms.
As the conflict broke out, the people were plunged into an unending catastrophe and the violence was getting more intense, day after day.
The clashes have plunged the country into a spiral of violence and chaos. On Monday, June 10, 2024, the International Organization for Migration estimated that 2.83 million people were driven from their homes before the start of the current war by multiple local conflicts in recent years. According to the organization, more than 14,000 people have lost their lives and thousands more have been injured. The crisis has also forced more than 10 million people to flee their homes, creating an internal displacement crisis unprecedented in the country's recent history.
The violence has not spared the children and data even shows that they are among the most affected by this crisis. Nearly 19 million of them have been uneducated since the beginning of the conflict. They live in precarious conditions, are deprived of education, and are often separated from their families. Many have been forced to flee the violence, and half of the population is in a critical situation. The desire to return to a normal life is omnipresent in these children. Not only that, but they also aspire to contribute to the reconstruction of their country and to see peace return. However, for this, the end of hostilities and reopening of educational facilities are essential. The international community, represented in particular by the U.N., has launched multiple appeals for help, but the needs remain massive and the responses insufficient.
The humanitarian situation in Sudan is alarming. On June 7, U.N. humanitarians warned of the continuing violence and the growing risk of famine that continues to hit the Sudanese people. The alert echoes U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' condemnation of an attack on a village south of Khartoum that killed more than 100 people, including at least 35 children.
Mohamed Refaat, the International Organization for Migration's (IOM) chief of mission in Sudan, highlighted the "truly horrific reports of violent attacks and casualties" in the village of Wad Al-Noura, located in al-Jazeera state. This attack, attributed to the RSF, exacerbated an already critical situation, making humanitarian access to areas of urgent need even more difficult.
In al-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, an estimated 800,000 civilians remain at risk due to intensified fighting between the SAF and the RSF. This region is currently "inaccessible" to the U.N. by land or air. Water and fuel prices have "skyrocketed," making basic necessities unaffordable.
Likewise, health facilities are not spared from violence. Last Sunday, the RSF paramilitary group opened fire on the southern hospital in al-Fasher. Repeated attacks on the hospital killed two people and injured 14 patients. Doctors Without Borders reported that most patients and medical staff managed to flee the shooting. However, these attacks severely hamper efforts to provide essential medical care to civilians trapped in conflict zones.
In the face of this crisis, calls for action are multiplying. Michael Dunford, WFP's regional director for East Africa, stressed the need for a cease-fire and humanitarian access to scale up relief operations. "The conflict must end; a cease-fire is necessary. We need to be able to scale up our operations, and for that, we need humanitarian access. We need long-term political intervention that will allow peace to be maintained," he said.
IOM Director General Amy Pope called for a unified response from the international community to avert "an imminent famine" in Sudan. The humanitarian needs are "massive, acute and immediate," and less than a fifth of the funds requested by IOM for this response have been disbursed.
Despite the horrors of the conflict, hope persists. Sudanese children dream of a better future, where they can return to school and contribute to the reconstruction of their country. The efforts of the international community to provide humanitarian assistance and end the violence are crucial to achieving this dream.
Sudan, a war-torn nation, continues to struggle for survival. The voices of children, the most vulnerable in this conflict, remind the world of the importance of peace and stability. They aspire to a future where they can live in safety, go to school, and participate in building a united and prosperous country.
As the humanitarian crisis worsens in Sudan and neighboring countries, where millions of people have sought refuge, a famine that could become the world's largest looms. The international community must heed this call for help and work together to end this tragedy. Sudan needs support, hope, and peace.
