Geneva, November 11 (Darfur24)
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has warned that drone attacks and worsening drought linked to the El Niño phenomenon are increasing risks for children in Sudan, with strikes on power stations disrupting water supplies, healthcare and food production.
UNICEF spokesperson James Elder described the drone attacks as “unprecedented aggression in Sudan”, saying that every day during the final week of October saw a drone attack on a power station somewhere in the country.
Elder made the remarks to reporters in Geneva following a visit to Sudan, where he warned that drone attacks and drought were compounding the suffering of children and depriving communities of access to safety, education and clean water.
He said the effects of drought were already becoming apparent, amid global warnings about the El Niño phenomenon. Delayed rainfall would not reverse the damage to the agricultural season, he added, as much of the planting window for grain crops had already passed while drone attacks continued.
He further explained that attacks on power stations disrupt water pumps and treatment facilities, forcing families to rely on expensive and potentially unsafe alternative sources. They also threaten refrigeration systems needed to preserve vaccines and medicines and prevent farmers from operating irrigation pumps.
Rising food prices have further reduced families’ ability to access basic supplies, making food increasingly unaffordable and worsening the risks facing children, he said.
During his visit, Elder met children who had suffered life-changing injuries in the war. Among them was a teenager named Bury, who lost both arms in an explosion and now lives in a tent.
Despite his injuries, Bury attends online lessons in the mornings and helps collect grass for livestock in the afternoons, with assistance from his friends.
“I have to accept this,” Bury told Elder, who described the suffering of Sudanese people as overwhelming, while praising their continued efforts to support one another despite the difficult conditions.
Elder said UNICEF had provided treatment to hundreds of thousands of children suffering from severe acute malnutrition, supported healthcare services for approximately 2.5 million people and vaccinated millions of children against deadly diseases.
The agency had also helped repair water systems and equip them with solar power to maintain supplies for millions of people, while supporting efforts to return millions of children to education, he added.
He outlined three priorities for addressing the crisis facing children in Sudan: ending violence against children and attacks on power stations, water networks and other civilian infrastructure; ensuring safe humanitarian access across conflict lines; and securing sustained, flexible funding to maintain essential services.
He also urged influential parties to take action to protect civilians and children and stop the flow of weapons used to kill and injure children.
Elder warned that the resilience of Sudanese communities could not be sustained through goodwill alone, saying continued international silence risked further tragic consequences.
“If the world is waiting for something worse to happen, it will be waiting at the graves of these children,” he said.
