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: