NEW YORK CITY: UNICEF’s executive director delivered a stark warning to the UN Security Council on Thursday as she urged the international community to address the situation unfolding in Sudan, which she described as the world’s largest and most devastating humanitarian crisis.

The situation in the country remains dire, Catherine Russell said, and without immediate intervention could result in a generational catastrophe that threatens not only the future of Sudan but also regional stability.

Two warring factions, the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, are locked in a power struggle that has resulted in more 15,000 civilian deaths and what the UN said is the worst displacement crisis in the world. More than 8.2 million people have fled their homes.

Nearly two years into the war, infrastructure, the economy and social services in the country are in ruins, and more than 30 million people, including 16 million children, will require humanitarian assistance this year.

Russell highlighted the catastrophic effects of the conflict on children in particular, including the threat of widespread famine in at least five regions and the imminent risk of outbreaks of diseases such as cholera, malaria and dengue fever due to the failing healthcare system.

The war has also caused an unprecedented educational crisis, with 16.5 million children now out of school.

“Children in Sudan are enduring unimaginable suffering and horrific violence,” Russell said.

There has been an alarming rise in the recruitment of youngsters by armed groups, she added, and more than 900 reports of grave violations against children between June and December 2024. These violations included killings, maiming and the use of explosive weapons in populated areas, including recent incidents that killed 21 children in Kadugli, South Kordofan.

Sexual violence is also rampant, with more than 12 million women and girls at risk of assault.

“This is not just a crisis, it is a polycrisis affecting every sector,” Russel told members of the council.

The fighting is happening at people’s “doorsteps, around their homes, their

schools and hospitals, and across many of Sudan’s cities, towns and villages,” she added.

Russell called for immediate deescalation of the conflict, unrestricted humanitarian access and a ceasefire agreement, to allow the worsening famine to be addressed and aid to reach the most vulnerable people.

“Humanitarian actors face frequent impediments in obtaining the necessary permits for the delivery of supplies in areas affected by armed conflict,” she said.

“The front lines continue to be fluid. Avenues that are open today may be closed tomorrow. Humanitarian actors must be ready to seize all cross-line, cross-border opportunities, to be able to deliver lifesaving supplies across the country.

“Unfortunately, parties have not mutually agreed on common routes through conflict lines for the delivery of aid, especially to the areas most impacted by the conflict. This lack of agreement means that aid organizations can seek safety and security guarantees only on an ad-hoc basis, reducing aid flow and preventing children and their families from accessing the basics they need to survive.”

Russel urged the international community to hold perpetrators or war crimes and other violations accountable, and to support humanitarian workers operating in dangerous conditions.

UNICEF is currently involved in life-saving interventions in Sudan, including the delivery of clean water to more than 9.8 million people, and malnutrition treatment for more than 400,000 children.

However, Russell warned that these efforts alone are insufficient without greater international action and additional funding, as UNICEF requires $1 billion to sustain its operations in the country this year alone.