Fighting in Sudan has forced 450,000 children to flee their homes: UNICEF

UNITED NATIONS (AA) – At least 450,000 children in Sudan have been forced to flee their homes due to the ongoing fighting, according to the UN children’s agency, UNICEF.

For weeks the conflict-hit African nation has been engulfed by violence between the army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group.

An estimated 82,000 children have fled to neighboring countries and around 368,000 more are internally displaced, UNICEF said in a statement.

“The brutal conflict in Sudan has exacted a devastating toll on the country’s children,” said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell. “Thousands have experienced deeply traumatic events or been driven from their homes in search of relative safety.”

More than 164,000 people have sought refuge in the Central African Republic, Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia, Libya and South Sudan since the violence erupted on April 15, according to the UN refugee agency.

UNICEF also warned that the rainy season may increase the risks of disease.

Sudan’s warring parties signed a commitment late Thursday on guidelines for allowing humanitarian assistance.