UNICEF says number of severely malnourished children doubles in North Darfur

12/7/2025 7:19

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said Friday that the number of children suffering from severe acute malnutrition (SAM) in Sudan's North Darfur region has doubled as a result of the country's ongoing military conflict.



In a statement, UNICEF reported a 46 percent increase in the number of children receiving treatment for SAM across Sudan's five Darfur states between January and May 2025, compared to the same period in 2024.



"In North Darfur alone, more than 40,000 children were admitted for treatment for SAM in the first five months of the year -- double the number for the same period last year," according to the statement.



"In nine out of 13 localities, the rate of acute malnutrition has surpassed emergency levels set by the World Health Organization," it noted.



"Children in Darfur are being starved by conflict and cut off from the very aid that could save them," Sheldon Yett, UNICEF representative for Sudan, was quoted in the statement as saying.



According to UNICEF, the situation was equally alarming in other parts of the country as SAM admissions rose by more than 70 percent in North Kordofan, by 174 percent in Khartoum State, and by 683 percent in Gezira State.