Sudan Crisis: Famine Ravages Children in Darfur Camps
Darfur - Moatinoon
The official spokesperson for the General Coordination of Displaced Persons and Refugees, Adam Rijal, announced the death of five children in the "Mokjar" area of Central Darfur State due to famine and insecurity.
In a press statement received by "Moatinoon," Rijal stated, "We received a shocking report on Wednesday, August 7, 2024, about cases of malnutrition and the dire humanitarian situation in Mokjar locality, Central Darfur State."
He added, "The number of cases of acute malnutrition among children, pregnant women, mothers, the elderly, and the disabled has reached more than 450."
He continued, "On August 6, 2024, five children died in East Mokjar due to famine and food insecurity, with humanitarian aid failing to reach the area since the outbreak of the senseless war, except for a very small portion that is far from meeting the massive need for food, compounded by the failed agricultural production in the past season."
He further explained, "In addition to displacement, the disruption of food supplies to relief organizations, and healthcare services."
Rijal emphasized, "Acute malnutrition remains a critical health challenge that requires increased efforts by the United Nations and international organizations to stop the ongoing war between the army and the Rapid Support Forces, and to build effective strategies and necessary preventive measures to prevent the outbreak of famine and malnutrition and save the lives of affected populations and displaced persons due to the war."
He stated, "There must be guaranteed increased funding and resources to ensure sufficient allocation for the malnutrition program and emergency response, especially in high-risk areas."
It is worth noting that famine was officially declared a few days ago in the "Zamzam" camp, located south of El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur State, about 12 kilometers away, housing around half a million displaced persons.
According to the latest report issued by the Food Security Agency on June 27, 25.6 million Sudanese are suffering from severe hunger, including 755,000 people in the famine stage, with another 8.5 million people nearing this stage.
The war has destroyed the livelihoods of millions of Sudanese, including those working in agriculture and livestock, which employs 80% of the country’s workforce, due to its expansion accompanied by indiscriminate attacks on civilians.
The war has exacerbated the humanitarian crisis in Darfur, particularly in displacement camps, as the resulting clashes have disrupted the delivery of international humanitarian aid to the region.
The ongoing conflict in Sudan since mid-April 2023 has caused the largest humanitarian crisis on an international level, with people in Darfur forced to eat animal feed and tree leaves due to the lack of food in the 51 displacement camps across the five Darfur states.
Refugee camps in Darfur were established when residents fled from villages to major cities seeking safety after the war broke out in the region in 2003 between government forces and rebel armed factions.
The Darfur region has been witnessing an armed conflict since 2003 between government forces and rebel armed movements, which has claimed the lives of around 300,000 people and displaced about 2.5 million others, according to the United Nations.
Since mid-April 2023, the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces have been engaged in a war that has resulted in around 15,000 deaths and over 8 million displaced persons and refugees, according to the United Nations.
