3.7 million children under five in Sudan at risk of acute malnutrition: UN agencies

Khartoum, Oct 26 (SocialNews.XYZ) Two United Nations agencies have said that 3.7 million children under five in Sudan are at risk of acute malnutrition, warning of a worsening humanitarian crisis across the country.

"There are 3.7 million children under five projected to suffer from severe acute malnutrition this year alone and (they) are in urgent need of life-saving treatment," the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) said in a joint statement late Friday.

According to the statement, "These children are already weakened by hunger. If not reached soon, these children are 11 times more likely to die from preventable diseases than their healthier peers in Sudan."

"The humanitarian crisis in Sudan continues to spiral, with millions of people in desperate need of assistance," UNHCR Assistant High Commissioner for Operations Raouf Mazou and UNICEF Deputy Executive Director Ted Chaiban were quoted in the statement as saying.

The two UN officials stressed that a key issue in delivering critical aid has been ensuring safe, unimpeded access to communities in need across Sudan, Xinhua news agency reported.

They said UN agencies responsible for the delivery of aid and the provision of technical assistance need to be permitted by government authorities to have a sustained presence in all affected communities.

According to the statement, Sudan is now "home to one of the world's largest and most pressing displacement crises," in which over 11 million people were displaced, both internally and across borders, while millions more, particularly children, were pushed into extreme vulnerability.

"An estimated 13 million people are facing acute levels of food insecurity. Fourteen regions across the country are teetering on the brink of famine," the statement said.

Access to basic services such as safe water, healthcare, and shelter is severely limited, it added, stressing that the international response must intensify immediately to match the overwhelming scale of need.

The two agencies reaffirmed their commitment to supporting the people of Sudan and all those impacted by the conflict, calling for sustained international backing, including attention to a political way to address the conflict.

They stressed that the protection of civilians must be paramount, saying, "We urgently call on all parties to the conflict to respect international humanitarian law and prioritize the protection of civilians, who continue to face unimaginable suffering."

According to the UN, half of Sudan's population, or about 25 million people, need humanitarian assistance and protection.

Sudan has been ravaged by a deadly conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces since mid-April 2023. According to a situation report issued by the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project on October 14, the conflict has resulted in more than 24,850 deaths.

Source: IANS