Funding cuts drive Sudan's children to the brink of irreversible harm, says Unicef
Sudan
to the brink of irreversible harm as support is scaled back and malnutrition cases persist across the country, the UN children's agency said on Tuesday.
UNHCR and other UN agencies face one of the worst funding crises in decades, compounded by US and other donor states' decisions to slash foreign aid funding.
'Children have limited access to safe water, food, healthcare. Malnutrition is rife, and many good children are reduced to just skin, bones,' said Sheldon Yett,
Unicef
's representative in Sudan, speaking via video link from Port Sudan.
Sudan's conflict between the army and rival Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has displaced millions and split the country into rival zones of control with the RSF still deeply embedded in western Sudan.
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Several areas to the south of Sudan's capital Khartoum are at risk of famine, the World Food Programme said in July.
Children were being cut off from life-saving services due to funding cuts, while the scale of need is staggering, Unicef said.
'With recent funding cuts, many of our partners in Khartoum and elsewhere have been forced to scale back ... We are being stretched to the limit across Sudan, with children dying of hunger,' Mr Yett said.
'We on the verge of irreversible damage being done to an entire generation of children in Sudan.'
Only 23 per cent of the $4.16 billion (€3.59 million) global humanitarian response plan for Sudan has been funded, according to the United Nations Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
Access to areas in need also continues to be a challenge, with some roads rendered inaccessible due to the rainy season, hampering aid delivery efforts, Unicef said. Other areas continue to be under siege, such as Al-Fashir.
'It has been one year since famine was confirmed in Zamzam camp and no food has reached this area. Al-Fashir remains under siege. We need that access now,' said Jens Laerke of the OCHA. – Reuters
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Irish Times
a day ago
- Irish Times
Funding cuts drive Sudan's children to the brink of irreversible harm, says Unicef
Funding cuts are driving an entire generation of children in Sudan to the brink of irreversible harm as support is scaled back and malnutrition cases persist across the country, the UN children's agency said on Tuesday. UNHCR and other UN agencies face one of the worst funding crises in decades, compounded by US and other donor states' decisions to slash foreign aid funding. 'Children have limited access to safe water, food, healthcare. Malnutrition is rife, and many good children are reduced to just skin, bones,' said Sheldon Yett, Unicef 's representative in Sudan, speaking via video link from Port Sudan. Sudan's conflict between the army and rival Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has displaced millions and split the country into rival zones of control with the RSF still deeply embedded in western Sudan. READ MORE Several areas to the south of Sudan's capital Khartoum are at risk of famine, the World Food Programme said in July. Children were being cut off from life-saving services due to funding cuts, while the scale of need is staggering, Unicef said. 'With recent funding cuts, many of our partners in Khartoum and elsewhere have been forced to scale back ... We are being stretched to the limit across Sudan, with children dying of hunger,' Mr Yett said. 'We on the verge of irreversible damage being done to an entire generation of children in Sudan.' Only 23 per cent of the $4.16 billion (€3.59 million) global humanitarian response plan for Sudan has been funded, according to the United Nations Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). Access to areas in need also continues to be a challenge, with some roads rendered inaccessible due to the rainy season, hampering aid delivery efforts, Unicef said. Other areas continue to be under siege, such as Al-Fashir. 'It has been one year since famine was confirmed in Zamzam camp and no food has reached this area. Al-Fashir remains under siege. We need that access now,' said Jens Laerke of the OCHA. – Reuters
Irish Times
23-07-2025
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Rare and endangered okapi ‘forest giraffe' is born at Dublin Zoo
A rare and endangered 'forest giraffe' born on Good Friday has been thriving, Dublin Zoo has said. This is the third calf of its kind – one of the few members of the okapi species – to be born in Ireland. The yet-to-be-named calf has two siblings in Dublin Zoo, Dalia and Leki, all born to mother Lumara and father Kitabu. Their names reflect the species' origins in the dense forests of the northeast Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where they are listed as endangered due to 'habitat loss, hunting, deforestation and civil unrest' in the region, Dublin Zoo said. READ MORE Historically, deforestation in the region was relatively low, with 3,100sq km (1,200sq miles) of forest being lost annually, but from 2015 to 2019 the rate of tree-felling in the DRC doubled, meaning a major loss in vegetation for the species. The DRC has suffered from political instability for years, with rebel groups often igniting conflicts across the region. Since her birth, the calf 'has been growing steadily and showing all the signs of good health', zoo officials said. She has spent her first months in the family's nest and has been 'under the attentive care of her mother', they said. This is typical for the infant calves of the okapi species, their handlers said. Zoo goers exploring the African Plains area of the Phoenix Park attraction 'may be lucky enough to catch a glimpse of her in the coming days, and see just how much she has grown', Dublin Zoo team leader Helen Clarke said. The family's habitat is near the northeastern African cheetahs and not far from the Asian elephants in Dublin Zoo. The zoo has supported conservation efforts of the species since 2012 with financial support to rangers in the Democratic Republic of Congo. There are about 15,000 to 50,000 okapi in the world.
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Sharks to escape URC sanctions for incidents during shoot-out against Munster
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