As 16-year-old Kaoussar ran for her life, her family got separated.
Losing her father and two brothers in the chaos, Kaoussar was left with her mother, grandmother and heavily pregnant aunt – all running from strangers trying to kill them.
Then, when the attackers caught up with them, they killed her mother.
Kaoussar wanted to stay with her, but her grandma and aunt dragged her from her mother’s body. Heartbroken and traumatised, they had no choice but to leave her body on the side of the road and continue their desperate journey.
To complicate matters – after many hours of running – her aunt gave birth in the bushes to the sound of gunfire. There was no medical assistance, but Kaoussar’s grandmother and other women fleeing the violence were able to help deliver the baby.
Kaoussar’s story is shocking, but it is not unique. This is just one account from over 5million children – approximately the entire population of Ireland – who have been made homeless by the ongoing conflict in Sudan.
In fact, today marks 500 days since the war began.
Fighting erupted on April 15, 2023 and is being fought largely between two rival factions for control of the country – the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces.
Sudan now faces one of the world’s most severe humanitarian catastrophes.
Children and families are facing horrific daily violence with thousands already killed, while a complete collapse of healthcare infrastructure and Sudan’s food supply mean people have begun to die from preventable diseases and hunger.
What’s particularly alarming for aid workers such as myself is that the crisis is also forcing unprecedented numbers of children into extreme hunger.
Earlier this month, the UN-backed IPC reported famine conditions in Sudan’s North Darfur region, and there is a growing risk that famine could soon be widespread across the country.
This means Sudan is now experiencing one of the most critical hunger crises of the millennium, and certainly the worst I have witnessed in my 28 years as an aid worker.
The evidence is irrefutable: the conflict in Sudan is starving children to death. These children urgently need support.
That’s why Plan International is working in Sudan and across neighbouring countries to supply food, nutrition and emergency shelter. We are also providing child-friendly spaces where Sudanese children can receive the support they need and continue to learn despite having lost their homes – and often so much more.
It has been heartbreaking for me and fellow aid workers to hear first-hand from so many children and families that have lost everything.
One colleague met 20-year-old Sarra, who crossed to Chad after spending 11 months trying to survive in Sudan’s severely overcrowded and under-resourced internal displacement camps. Her pregnant sister was killed when their group came under attack while attempting to flee the country.
Deeply traumatised, Sarra misses her sister and doesn’t understand why a young pregnant woman would ever be a target.
Life is desperate for children still in Sudan as well, like 14-year-old Angham. She told our staff members how her dream of becoming a doctor like her father has been shattered since losing her home.
She now sleeps – with her extended family – on the floor of a tiny office in a school. Like most Sudanese children, Angham has not been able to receive any education since the conflict began.
The colleagues I work with risk their lives every day to deliver aid, and we are determined to do all we can to save lives. However, the international community must do more for Sudan’s children.
Renewed diplomatic efforts towards an immediate ceasefire are essential, and pressure must be put on all parties to secure access for humanitarian aid, food and other basic supplies across all parts of the country.
A drastic upscaling of funding is required: current funding levels are woeful and will not prevent widespread famine. Seven months after launching, the UN-led Sudan Humanitarian Response Plan for this year is just over a third funded.
Plan International is therefore calling on the new UK Government to immediately announce additional funding for the crisis to ensure aid is delivering for children, women and girls and to create safe and legal routes for those fleeing to seek protection.
We will not let the world forget about Sudan because without immediate intervention, more children will starve to death. They will continue to be forced from their homes and see their parents and siblings killed. More children will experience unimaginable trauma and violence.
It has only taken 500 days for Sudan to become the world’s largest child displacement crisis, with approximately 10,000 children a day being forced from their homes.
This is what happened to Kaoussar.
Originally from Geneina city in Sudan’s West Darfur State, her family was initially forced from their home when fighting in Sudan erupted 500 days ago.
They found shelter in a camp near the city, but then unidentified attackers raided it and that’s when her mother was killed.
After the birth of her niece on the side of the road, Kaoussar, her grandmother, and her aunt walked on foot, eventually crossing into Chad three days later.
After spending four weeks in a temporary centre, they moved to a refugee camp – where she still lives today, over 15 months after arriving. Devastatingly, she still does not know where her father or brothers are.
Hundreds of thousands now call overcrowded camps like this home after fleeing the ongoing conflict in Sudan. The camp mainly shelters women and children, and access to clean water, food and sanitation here is severely limited.
Thankfully, Kaoussar can now go to school. She is a leader in the classroom and loves taking part in activities with her new friends.
But memories of her mother’s death and father’s disappearance cast a long shadow over her, making it difficult to move forward. Like all Sudanese children right now, her past is traumatic and future uncertain.
This is a critical humanitarian emergency. Children are already being killed and dying from hunger and related diseases, while the lives of millions more hang in the balance.
There can be no more delays. The time to act is now.
Do you have a story you’d like to share? Get in touch by emailing James.Besanvalle@metro.co.uk.
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