A heart-wrenching crisis is unfolding in Sudan, where 500 children have tragically lost their lives due to hunger, exacerbating the dire humanitarian situation in a nation deeply scarred by conflict.
The discord, which erupted on April 15 between the army under General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) commanded by Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, has wrought havoc. Reports by the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project cite a staggering toll of 5,000 fatalities and displacement of over four million individuals.
Save the Children, a British charity organization, delivered a grim account of the situation, revealing that at least 498 children, and likely even more, have succumbed to hunger-related causes in Sudan. Shockingly, this includes two dozen infants in a state orphanage. The charity underscored that it had been compelled to shutter 57 of its nutrition centers since the commencement of the war, with remaining facilities grappling with critically low stocks.
Save the Children’s Sudan Country Director, Arif Noor, lamented the unfolding tragedy, stating, “Never did we think we would see children dying from hunger in such numbers, but this is now the reality in Sudan.” He emphasized that preventable hunger was claiming innocent lives, describing the heartrending scenes of severely ill children arriving at nutrition centers with desperate parents.
Amid this grim landscape, 20 international humanitarian organizations have issued a joint warning, indicating that over six million Sudanese citizens are teetering on the brink of famine.
The violence has continued unabated, primarily centered in Khartoum and Darfur. The Darfur region, home to a quarter of Sudan’s population, has witnessed significant turmoil, with Nyala experiencing a concentrated wave of violence. The UN reports casualties of at least 60 people killed, 250 wounded, and 50,000 displaced since August 11.
The fight has escalated to the North Darfur state capital, El Fasher, resulting in the burning of at least 27 localities by the RSF and allied militias. The absence of effective intervention has enabled the RSF to operate largely unchecked, while the army remains confined to its bases, noted Nathaniel Raymond, who leads the Humanitarian Research Lab at the Yale School of Public Health.
As the war-torn nation grapples with this devastating humanitarian crisis, the international community is faced with the urgent task of not only addressing the conflict’s root causes but also delivering immediate aid to alleviate the plight of those enduring unimaginable suffering.
