NRC: Hundreds of Children in Tawila Suffering from Severe Trauma Due to Violence and Loss of Parents
Sudan – Sudanhorizon
The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) revealed on Thursday that at least 400 children have arrived in the town of Tawila from El Fasher since last month without their parents, suffering from severe trauma and fear.
In a statement, the council indicated that most of the children arrive in Tawila exhausted and severely depressed after walking for days across the desert.
It said that many of them are terrified of the Rapid Support Forces militia groups they fled from or may have encountered along the way, and many were separated from their parents during the chaos of the escape, “while other parents are believed to be missing, detained, or killed.”
The NRC press release quoted Nidaa, a teacher working with the Norwegian Refugee Council’s education program, as saying: “When we started our classes, some of the children were completely speechless upon arrival. Others were waking up with nightmares. Many had witnessed extreme violence before fleeing and showed signs of severe trauma. They described hiding for hours, traveling at night to avoid attacks, and being separated from their families amidst the chaos.”
A month after the attacks on El Fasher began on October 26, the Norwegian Refugee Council had registered more than 15,000 new arrivals in Tawila and was enrolling an average of more than 200 children daily in its emergency education programs across two sites.
“But after such arduous and dangerous journeys, many are still sleeping in the open without shade, mattresses, or warm clothing as temperatures plummet at night.”
The council’s statement added that some of the children who arrived without their parents were being hosted by relatives, neighbors, or even strangers. However, even while being hosted, many are still waiting and hoping for news from their loved ones.
“We spent days in our classrooms encouraging them to play, sing, breathe, and relax,” said Nidaa. “We are now seeing small but significant improvements.”
Despite the scale of the needs, Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) teams reported early signs of relief in these learning tents. Drawings that once depicted military vehicles and weapons now show flowers and volleyball courts, as the children gradually regain a sense of security and order.
“They have already survived mass atrocities, and we cannot let them down now,” commented Noah Tyler, NRC’s head of operations in Sudan. He added that at least 100,000 people have fled El Fasher and surrounding villages since October 26, while tens of thousands remain missing.
“We are deeply concerned about the fate of the thousands of people from El Fasher who are still missing,” he added.
Shortlink: https://sudanhorizon.com/?p=9095