Sun. Dec 22nd, 2024

More than 561 Sudanese children have died from hunger or malnutrition in the past eleven months, with an average of 17 deaths per day among children, in displacement camps in Darfur.

These statistics came in the words of the official spokesman of the Coordination for Displaced Affairs in Darfur, “Adam Rijal”, who indicated that there are more than 5.9 million displaced people in Darfur camps in urgent need of food.

These statistics reinforce the credibility of the warnings of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) last year, when it reported that more than 13.6 million children in Sudan need the humanitarian assistance necessary for survival.

Earlier this year, UNICEF issued a warning that 700,000 Sudanese children were affected by the most severe cases of malnutrition during the year, with many expected to die.

Rijal explained that Darfur is currently experiencing a first-class famine, with the population severely malnourished and severe shortages of food, including balanced foods for pregnant and lactating mothers and the elderly.

He also stressed the danger of the collapse of the health system in the entire camps, with severe shortages of vital medicines and the suspension of work in primary health care centers, pointing to the acute shortage of drinking water, as 70% of water sources in the camps have been disrupted.

The total number of malnourished children in displacement camps has exceeded one million.

The financial needs to assist 14.7 million people in Sudan are estimated at $2.7 billion for 2024, of which only $84 million has been saved so far (3.1%). In 2023, only 42% of the necessary funding was provided.

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