UNICEF Representative in Sudan warns of "massive, worsening disaster" in Al-Ubayyid
The UNICEF representative in Sudan confirmed on Friday that the city of Omdurman and surrounding areas in the central part of the country are experiencing a “massive disaster that worsens day by day,” resulting in massive needs and rising malnutrition rates.
Sheldon Yett, the representative of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), who is currently in Khartoum following a visit to the area around Omdurman, told Agence France-Presse in an interview that malnutrition is worsening, particularly due to the inability to provide clean water and rising prices of basic goods.
He added, “People are increasingly suffering from illness and are no longer able to absorb nutrients.”
Following days of attacks across North Kordofan state, the Sudanese army, which has been fighting the Rapid Support Forces since April 2023, succeeded last Sunday in weakening the grip of those forces on the region and the surroundings of Omdurman, the state capital, by regaining control of the strategic road leading to the capital, Khartoum.
Yett explained, “Many are fleeing from Omdurman… those who can leave are leaving, and many are heading to Khartoum.”
The UN official continued, “What we are currently witnessing… is that supplies are now arriving,” but “access remains highly dangerous” because “the main road is under continuous attack.”
After visiting Omdurman two months ago, Sheldon Yett returned to the area surrounding the city from July 12 to 18.
The official expressed concern over the continued spread of cholera in Kordofan, warning that population movements could lead to the wider spread of the disease.
On a broader scale, Yett fears that in the absence of improvement in humanitarian aid, malnutrition will worsen, the health of the population will deteriorate, and risks to children will increase, amid a crisis he describes as a “massive disaster that worsens day by day.”
During his visit to the area around Omdurman, Yett was “shocked by the scale of needs compared to the response provided,” although delivering humanitarian aid remains possible, albeit with difficulties.
After three decades of responding to humanitarian crises around the world, the UNICEF representative described the scale of the crisis in Sudan as “shocking,” with millions of displaced people, host cities under immense pressure, and a sharp shortage of humanitarian actors on the ground.
Yett warned that protection needs are “massive,” pointing specifically to the recruitment of children, a worrying rise in rape cases, and gender-based violence in general.
The war between the army and the Rapid Support Forces has killed tens of thousands, with some estimates suggesting up to 200,000 deaths, and displaced more than 12 million Sudanese, in what the United Nations describes as the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. Several areas in the country have also experienced famine.
Sheldon Yett criticized the near-total lack of attention to the Sudan crisis, warning that “if we do not give it the attention it deserves, it will continue to worsen and spread across borders, towards Europe and other countries.”
