Tens of thousands flee fighting in Sudan's Abyei region

Days of fighting between northern Sudanese forces and armed groups in the tense Southern Kordofan border state is forcing many residents to flee their homes.

“They are in a situation where they haven’t come with their belongings – they fled as they were,” says Dr Yasmin Ali Haque, Director for UNICEF in South Sudan. “There is always the risk of children being separated from their parents and from their families.”

A large scale humanitarian relief operation is underway to help the tens of thousands displaced by the fighting -- of which an estimated 50,000 are children.

Sudan's south is due to secede on July 9 and tensions are high after Khartoum seized the disputed Abyei region on May 21.

“It is important the we see South Sudan being born as a new country after a long legacy of war. When we look at various other conflicts we talk about ‘building back better.’ But in terms of South Sudan we’re really building from scratch.”

Listen to Dr Yasmin Ali Haque’s full interview with Kelsea Brennan-Wessles: