UNICEF: Children in Sudan "Turned to Skin and Bones"

August 5, 2025 (PEN) Sheldon Yett, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) representative in Sudan, warned that the humanitarian crisis sweeping the country threatens to inflict "irreparable damage" on an entire generation of children, stressing that children are dying daily from hunger, disease, and violence, amid a lack of basic services.

In a statement following a field tour that included the Red Sea, Al-Jazeera, and Khartoum states, he described Sudan as experiencing "the largest humanitarian crisis in the world today," noting that the conditions he saw "combine destruction, displacement, hunger, the spread of cholera, and the absence of health and education services."

He said that Jebel Awliya and Khartoum localities bear 37% of the state's malnutrition burden, and that children there live in overcrowded neighborhoods, in destroyed or unfinished homes, and suffer from a lack of food, clean water, healthcare, and education.

He added: "Malnutrition is widespread, many children are reduced to 'skin and bones', health facilities are overcrowded, roads are muddy and impassable, and cholera is spreading rapidly."

He noted that the organization's warehouse in Khartoum was looted and destroyed, resulting in the loss of vital supplies, but stressed that UNICEF teams and partners "continue to work tirelessly," despite security and logistical challenges.

He also expressed concern that the lack of access to the most affected areas, such as El Fasher, Dilling, and Kadugli, increases the likelihood of higher mortality rates among children. He said, "Every day that passes without access to these areas puts children's lives at greater risk."

He emphasized that the decline in humanitarian funding has forced many partners to scale back their activities, calling on the international community to take urgent action. "We need resources and safe, sustained access to scale up the response. We cannot do it alone," he said.

In a moving message, Yate quoted a displaced mother as saying, "Since the war began, my daughter has been in a state of silence, and I can feel her heartbeat racing with fear." He commented, "Her words are a painful reminder of the invisible wounds that war leaves on children."

He concluded by saying: "The children of Sudan are resilient. They have endured the horrors of war for more than two years. But they cannot continue without help. The world must not turn its back. Not now."