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Cease-fire in Sudan must be extended, says UNICEF

The three-month ceasefire between the Government of Sudan and the Sudan Peoples' Liberation Movement (SPLM) expires on 15 October. It must be extended in time and broadened in scope. UNICEF joins the World Food Programme (WFP) and other aid agencies in calling for a six-month extension of the ceasefire and for its inclusion of regions outside of Bahr el Ghazal.

Specifically, a prolonged ceasefire must include all areas of southern Sudan and be seen as a step toward a permanent political settlement, so that the civilian population -- particularly children and women -- can escape a continuation of the famine and war-related carnage that have ravaged their lives.

The ceasefire opened a window of opportunity, enabling the humanitarian community to address the acute crisis in southern Sudan. Were that window now to close, the result would be continued suffering for the nation as a whole and, most particularly, for the children and women of southern Sudan.

UNICEF, working with UN and NGO partners in Operation Lifeline Sudan (OLS) and as the lead agency in the southern sector, engages in a wide range of humanitarian activities in Sudan. These include provision of supplementary and therapeutic foods for children, essential drugs, oral rehydration salts, mosquito nets, handpumps for wells and community latrines -- in addition to vaccination programmes like the one that has protected over 75,000 children in government and rebel-held areas of Bahr el Ghazal against measles over the last several months.

UNICEF calls on all parties, and on the international community, to work urgently during the coming weeks to extend peace and stability throughout the country.

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