Today’s top news: Sudan, Syria

Child Protection Officer with UNICEF Chad with children

Valery Nodjimadji, a Child Protection Officer with UNICEF Chad, sits with children in a Child-Friendly Space in Koufroun, a Chadian village in eastern Chad currently hosting refugees from Sudan. The Child-Friendly Spaces, run by UNICEF partner the Chadian Red Cross, give children the opportunity to enjoy themselves in a safe space and receive psychosocial support UNICEF/Annadjib Ramadane

Sudan

Ongoing fighting in the country has now displaced more than 3 million people, less than three months into the conflict.

The International Organization for Migration says that more than 2.4 million people have been displaced inside Sudan, across all 18 states. The majority are in River Nile State, followed by North, White Nile and Sennar. Nearly three quarters of displaced people originally fled from the capital, Khartoum.

The UN Refugee Agency says that more than 650,000 people have sought shelter from the fighting in neighbouring countries.

Roughly half of the people displaced by fighting inside and outside the country are children, according to UNICEF. That’s about 1.5 million children.

One in every two children in Sudan – some 13.6 million – needs urgent humanitarian assistance.

Since the conflict began, UNICEF has provided health supplies to more than 3 million children and women, as well as safe drinking water to some 1.4 million people. Nearly 100,000 children are attending safe learning spaces, including solar-powered centres.

Syria

The Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Martin Griffiths, has urged Security Council members to ensure that the UN can continue its vital work delivering humanitarian assistance to north-west Syria.

Mr. Griffiths said millions of Syrians are counting on the international community. The Bab al-Hawa border crossing remains the centre of gravity for the UN’s cross-border response to north-west Syria. Authorization to use that crossing point expired this week – and as the Secretary-General said yesterday, Council members must redouble their efforts to support the delivery of cross-border assistance.