Thousands of children at risk of death in Sudan's El-Fasher: UN
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UN agencies report skyrocketing malnutrition in El-Fasher, warning of famine risks amid an ongoing humanitarian crisis and lack of funding.
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People gather to wait for food aid in El-Fasher, the last city in the western Darfur region still held by the Sudanese army, and under constant attack from the RSF. (AFP)
In the besieged city of El-Fasher in Sudan's Darfur region, malnutrition rates are skyrocketing, placing thousands of children at imminent risk of death, according to a statement from four United Nations agencies on Thursday.
The agencies said that during a 16-month-old standoff between the Sudanese Army and the Rapid Support Forces, more than a quarter of a million civilians, about half of them children, have been cut off from food and healthcare in the city.
Malnutrition rates skyrocketing
According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the refugee agency UNHCR, the children's organization UNICEF, and the World Food Programme, their representatives witnessed widespread devastation in Darfur and other parts of the country during recent visits. Moreover, malnutrition rates were skyrocketing across the country, the agencies reported.
"Famine was confirmed in parts of Sudan last year and the hunger situation remains catastrophic, with children among the hardest hit," the agencies stated.
People who returned to the capital this year after the army retook Khartoum found devastated neighborhoods, with IOM's Deputy Director General for Operations Ugochi Daniels stating, "I met people coming back to a city still scarred by conflict, where homes are damaged and basic services are barely functioning."
Only $4.2bln funded
The agencies said that while more than 30 million people, including nearly 15 million children, were in dire need of aid, only a quarter of the $4.2 billion asked for in the 2025 UN Sudan Humanitarian Response Plan has been funded so far.
Earlier on October 16, the United Nations issued a grave warning that the Sudan humanitarian crisis is rapidly worsening from a dramatic escalation of violence and the spread of disease, with UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric stating that civilians in El-Fasher are bearing the brunt of the dire situation.
"Local sources report that El-Fasher is now under siege from all directions," Dujarric stated. "The city's remaining residents are facing critical shortages of food and water." He further noted that markets are nearly empty and prices have skyrocketed, all while humanitarian aid access remains severely limited.
According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), earthen barriers erected around El-Fasher are blocking the movement of people and humanitarian supplies and have led to the closure of the crucial support system provided by community kitchens for many families still in the city.
"Earlier this week, local responders in El-Fasher reported further closures of community kitchens, which had been serving as a last line of support for many families," Dujarric stated.
