Sudan amidst the world’s largest child displacement crisis

Sudan currently has the largest child displacement crisis in the world, with three million of the country’s roughly 23 million children fleeing violence since mid-April 2023 to seek safety.

An estimated 350,000 children were displaced between early October and 15 November, according to the most recent data. This included some children who had been displaced and forced to move in search of safety as many as three times.

About 150,000 children were forced out of their homes in the third week of October alone, which is the most displacement action since the beginning of the conflict, according to Save The Children website.

Since the start of the conflict, more than five million people have been internally displaced within Sudan, and an additional 1.3 million have fled to neighboring countries in search of shelter.

Ferocious attacks on villages and towns are forcing families to flee to protect their children from physical abuse, kidnapping, human trafficking, maiming, and getting killed.

Shelters and displacement centres are also being targeted. 1,300 including children reportedly killed during an attack on one camp for displaced people in Darfur.

UNICEF has received allegations of over 3,100 grave violations, including the murder and disfigurement of children. However, it’s believed that the violence unfolding in Sudan is much more severe than that.

“We are seeing abhorrent levels of violence in Sudan. The human rights violations are severe, widespread, and ongoing – and yet the crisis is being entirely ignored. There is a prevailing climate of impunity. Children are being forced to flee, sometimes in the middle of the night to arrive to crowded gathering sites, where infectious diseases can spread easily” Dr Arif Noor, Save the Children’s Country Director in Sudan stated.

The Hmanitarian Response Plan (HRP) in Sudan is still not fully funded despite the desperation of 25 million people suffering.

“Sudan is a monumental emergency, and it needs a monumental response by global players. We need urgent and increased resources to protect children and families now,” he added.