Sudan’s Children Face Severe Malnutrition Crisis Amid Civil War

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has warned that the ongoing civil war in Sudan has led to a severe malnutrition crisis among children.

According to a report by Vanguard News on February 9, 2024, the conflict could leave over 700,000 children severely malnourished this year, with tens of thousands at risk of death.

The war, which began in April 2023 between Sudan’s army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his former deputy, Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, has already claimed thousands of lives, including an estimated 10,000 to 15,000 people in the western Darfur region.

The conflict has also sparked a humanitarian disaster, with around 25 million people – more than half the population – in need of aid, including nearly 18 million facing acute food insecurity.

UNICEF spokesman James Elder, who recently returned from a trip to Sudan, said that the consequences of the past 300 days meant that more than 700,000 children were likely to suffer from the deadliest form of malnutrition this year.

He warned that without improved access and additional support, aid agencies would not be able to treat more than 300,000 of them, leading to the potential death of tens of thousands of children.

The war has triggered one of the world’s largest displacement crises, with nearly eight million people fleeing their homes, half of them children.

The rampant spread of diseases like cholera, measles, and malaria has further exacerbated the crisis.

The Doctors Without Borders charity (MSF) reported that at least one child dies every two hours in the Zamzam camp for displaced people in Darfur.

UNICEF has requested $840 million to help reach 7.6 million of the most vulnerable children.

However, the agency received only a quarter of its appeal last year, prompting Elder to urge donors to do more and not turn a blind eye to the situation.

The UN has called for a ceasefire and a collective response from the international community to address the humanitarian crisis in Sudan.

The global organization also appealed for $4.1 billion to assist civilians inside Sudan and those who have fled abroad as refugees.