By Peter Kenny
GENEVA (AA) - Ahead of US-sponsored talks aimed at ending hostilities in Sudan, a UN spokesperson said Tuesday the African country’s humanitarian crisis is, by numbers, the biggest in the world for children.
James Elder, spokesperson for UNICEF, the UN children’s agency, said thousands of children have been killed or injured in Sudan’s war.
Peace talks are scheduled to begin on Wednesday in Geneva.
“Five million children have been forced to flee their homes – a staggering average of 10,000 girls and boys displaced every single day – making Sudan the world's largest child displacement crisis,” said Elder.
“It is also a crisis of neglect. So many of the countless atrocities upon children in Sudan have gone unreported, often as a result of very limited access.”
Tom Perriello, the US special envoy for Sudan, had told journalists on Monday in Geneva ahead of Wednesday's scheduled talks: “We have had preliminary engagements with RSF (one side in the conflict).
“We have had extensive engagements with SAF. But they have not yet given us an affirmation, which would be necessary today for moving forward.”
The RSF is the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and the SAF is the Sudanese Armed Forces, the two sides that have been locked in a bloody conflict since April 2023.
“We will move forward with our international partners to reach an action plan, a concrete action plan about how we can advance to a cessation of violence and have full humanitarian access, and a monitoring enforcement mechanism. These are long past due,” Perriello said.
“We could do more together if SAF commits to arriving with a delegation that can make decisions.”
“The RSF is not here as far as I know. But they have committed to participating if there is a commitment from SAF. We are continuing to keep those options open,” said Perriello.
This first round of peace talks could last up to 10 days.
Perriello said he hoped to have “at least some in-person conversations, which is by far the best opportunity to make progress.”