Geneva Palais Briefing Note: Horrifying numbers of children killed & injured in Sudan

This is a summary of what was said by UNICEF Spokesperson James Elder – to whom quoted text may be attributed - at today's press briefing at the Palais des Nations in Geneva 

GENEVA, 5 May 2023 – “As feared and as warned, the situation in Sudan has become fatal for a frighteningly large number of children. In reports UNICEF has received that cover the period from the start of the fighting until 25 April 2023, 190 children have been killed. While we are unable to confirm estimates due to the intensity of the violence, these reports state a further 1700 have been injured.

"That is, we have reports that, on average, every single hour over this first 11-day period of fighting, seven children have been killed or injured. Seven children. Every hour.

"It is important to note that these reports of children killed or injured are only those who had contact with a medical facility. So, as ever, the reality is likely to be much worse.

"We don’t have case-by-case information on each child, though it is data from the conflict hotspots of Khartoum and the Darfurs.

"While these reports only cover the first 11 days of this conflict, children have now been living amid terrifying violence for three weeks in Sudan. Places where they simply must be safe – homes, schools and hospitals – have consistently come under attack, and continue to do so. Time and again UNICEF and partners have called on parties to the conflict to stop all attacks on health centres, schools, and water and sanitation systems upon which children rely. Time and again the attacks continue.

"Humanitarian workers have also been attacked, while humanitarian facilities, vehicles and supplies – including those of UNICEF – have been looted or destroyed. All such attacks undermine our capacity to reach children across the country with lifesaving health, nutrition, water and sanitation services. Again, we join so many others in underlining the criticality that all parties to the conflict adhere to international law: to fulfil their obligations to protect children, and to ensure that humanitarian actors can safely operate on the ground to support civilians in need.”

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Notes to editors: 

Multimedia materials available here.