UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Ishmael Beah travelled to Sudan this week to meet with children and families affected by the conflict that has devastated the country for the past 19 months.
During his visit, Beah – a bestselling author and human rights activist who was forcibly recruited into an armed group during the brutal civil war in his home country of Sierra Leone at 13 – spent time with children who have been displaced and detained, as well as a family who have taken in a child abandoned during the conflict.
Beah met and interacted with children and adolescents in camps for people who have been displaced by the conflict. He visited UNICEF-supported child-friendly spaces where vulnerable children have a chance to learn, play and interact with their friends, receive psychosocial support and begin to regain some sense of normalcy. The children Beah met with spoke about how they can relate to his journey and experience growing up in the middle of a harrowing conflict, telling Beah that, despite their losses and struggles, they still have hope of a better future.
“The Sudanese youth I met do not plan on giving up on their nation and do not want the world to do that either,” said Beah. “Despite the unbelievable challenges they have faced fleeing their homes, they demonstrated incredible wisdom that serves as the basis of their resilience. They have a strength that deserves recognition and respect and are not letting their dreams to be doctors, engineers, or artists be shattered by this conflict. They are remarkably intelligent, resourceful, and hopeful for the future of Sudan.”
The stories relayed by the children Beah spoke with provided a compelling example of the wider challenges facing children across Sudan, now home to one of the world’s largest and most pressing displacement crises, with over 5 million children, displaced within the country. Many families have been displaced multiple times by the conflict, fleeing their homes, only to be displaced again when the frontlines shift.
The situation is especially dire for children and families trapped in areas affected by ongoing fighting, insecurity, and lack of protection. The UN has received reports of a shocking number of children being killed and maimed. Girls have shouldered a particularly heavy burden, facing terrifying risks to their safety, including rape and other forms of sexual violence. More than 1,500 grave violations against children were verified between January and September 2024.
