United Nations aid agencies warn that an entire generation of children in war-torn Sudan is at risk of malnutrition, disease, and death without urgent action. According to the U.N Children's Fund (UNICEF), the World Food Program (WFP), and the World Health Organization (WHO), child malnutrition is being worsened by limited access to nutritious food, safe drinking water, adequate sanitation as well as an increased risk of disease.
All these conditions have been heightened by the 13-month-old war between the Sudan Armed forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. An estimated 9 million Sudanese have been displaced from their homes, but insecurity and excessive bureaucracy make it difficult for aid agencies to deliver life-saving supplies. "Mothers and children across Sudan are wasting away from malnutrition.
The ongoing war has stripped them of everything they need to survive - food, medical support, and shelter. We need immediate and safe access to deliver the humanitarian assistance that they so desperately need. Without it, this crisis risks becoming the world's largest hunger emergency," said WFP Executive Director Cindy McCain in a statement this week.
Parts of Sudan are seeing emergency levels of child malnutrition. About 15.6% of children under age five suffer acute malnutrition in Central Darfur.
In ZamZam camp in North Darfur, that number is around 30%. The statement says malnourishment and disease also exacerbate each other. Sick children become more malnourishe.
