Sudan’s war reached the grim milestone of 1,000 days on Friday (January 9), with U.N. aid officials warning of a “staggering” scale of civilian suffering.
“Nearly 34 million people need humanitarian support, and the scale of suffering is staggering,” said Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). He described fierce fighting across Kordofan, with sieges “cutting off the towns of Kadugli and Dilling, restricting food, healthcare and access to farms and markets.”
UNICEF spokesperson Ricardo Pires said “more than five million children have been forced from their homes, the equivalent of 5,000 children displaced every single day since this conflict began.”
Laerke issued an “urgent” appeal for “an immediate cessation of hostilities and real steps towards a lasting peace,” along with full respect for international humanitarian law and protection of civilians and aid workers.
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