Tue Dec 30 07:19:04 UTC 2025: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
UNICEF: Child Malnutrition at ‘Unprecedented’ Levels in War-Torn North Darfur
El-Fasher, Sudan – The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) issued a stark warning Monday about the escalating crisis in North Darfur, Sudan, where children are facing an “unprecedented level” of malnutrition amidst intensified fighting between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
The situation is especially dire in the Um Baru locality, where a recent UNICEF screening revealed that 53% of 500 children were acutely malnourished, with one in six suffering from severe acute malnutrition – a life-threatening condition that can prove fatal within weeks if left untreated.
“Children in Um Baru are fighting for their lives and need immediate help,” said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell. “Every day without safe and unhindered access increases the risk of children growing weaker and more death and suffering from causes that are entirely preventable.”
Many of those currently in Um Baru are displaced from El-Fasher, the city recently seized by the RSF. Over 100,000 people are estimated to have fled the city amid reports of mass atrocities committed by RSF troops.
A UN humanitarian team was recently granted access to El-Fasher for the first time in two years, where they found the city largely deserted, described by UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator Denise Brown as a “crime scene”. Those who remained were living in dire conditions in empty buildings or makeshift camps.
The RSF is now pushing east into the Kordofan region, further exacerbating the humanitarian crisis. UN officials warn that the violence and destruction are reaching staggering levels, with civilians enduring immense suffering.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for an immediate ceasefire, but efforts to broker peace have so far failed.
UNICEF is urgently appealing for immediate and unhindered access to children and families trapped by the conflict to provide life-saving assistance.
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