Sudan crisis leaves 700,000 kids on brink of death: UN agency calls for assistance

Last updated on February 12th, 2024 at 06:50 am

Tens of thousands of children in Sudan are at risk of suffering severe acute malnutrition, the most dangerous form of hunger, after more than 300 days of conflict between rival Sudanese militaries. Both forces have refused to heed calls for peace.

UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) spokesperson James Elder recently said the largest displacement of children on the planet has been seen in Sudan. “Four million children have been displaced … Safety, gone … Friends and family members separated or lost. Hope, fading.”

But babies can recover immensely fast

Earlier this week, the UN aid coordination office, OCHA, appealed for $2.7 billion to meet most urgent requirements inside the country. But the appeal has been just 4% funded, despite repeated warnings about the scale of the hunger and displacement crisis in Sudan.

Describing his recent visit to Sudan’s Darfurs, Elder said of the more than 700,000 children on the brink of severe acute malnutrition, UNICEF “won’t be able to treat more than 300,000” without improved access and additional support, according to UN News.

Nonetheless, the UN health agency’s Tarik Jasarevic, stressed that the babies can recover immensely fast. “If there is a possibility to provide them with therapeutic feeding, babies in a matter of few days can go from the brink of death to be playing.”

Sudan crisis destroying opportunity for millions

The raging conflict that broke out in mid-April endangers the country and the future of an entire generation. In addition to millions of people haunted by hunger, the people there have also been enduring a steep rise in killings, sexual violence and recruitment into armed groups.

“That equates to a terrifying number of children killed, raped or recruited. And these numbers are, of course, the tip of the iceberg,” Elder stressed. The war is destroying opportunity, health and nutrition systems, and families’ ability to feed and protect themselves, he said.