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April 17 (EUROPA PRESS) – The representative of the Secretary General of the United Nations for Children and Armed Conflicts, Virgina Gamba, warned this Tuesday about the “imminent” risk of famine that children face in the Gaza Strip and Sudan , where their respective armed conflicts have created “disproportionate and catastrophic humanitarian consequences.”
“From Gaza to Sudan, millions of children caught in armed conflict suffer from acute hunger. Access to water, food and other vital aid for children is not only a matter of immediate survival, but also of sustainable health and growth. Facilitate Access to humanitarian aid is not a choice, it is an obligation for all parties in an armed conflict and so is the protection of children,” said Gamba.
According to data from the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), one in six children is seriously malnourished in Gaza, a figure that reaches close to 14 million in Sudan, of which 730,000 children are already seriously and severely malnourished.
In that sense, he has complained about the difficulties that different organizations on the ground have in delivering humanitarian aid, and that they not only face restrictions but also violence against them.
“Humanitarian aid is not reaching northern Gaza on the scale necessary to meet catastrophic needs. There is an urgent need to increase the delivery of supplies to meet the humanitarian needs of civilians, including children, in Gaza,” he added.
Likewise, he recalled other countries that are facing serious humanitarian crises, such as Haiti, Burma or Afghanistan. In the latter country, there are also severe restrictions that prevent women from working for the United Nations and NGOs, making it difficult to provide vital services and assistance in most sectors.
“I call on all parties to protect civilians and civilian objects and facilitate safe, rapid and unimpeded access to all civilians in need, in full respect of International Humanitarian Law. I urge the parties to to implement an immediate humanitarian ceasefire. The future of the children of Gaza, Sudan and other terrible situations depends on it,” Gamba asked.
