Sudan: Hundreds of thousands of children face starvation

By Francesca Merlo

As conflict rages in Sudan’s North Darfur region, 825,000 children are trapped in Al Fasher and Zamzam camps without the most basic necessities. Since early 2025, grave violations against children have surged, with over 70 killed or maimed in Al Fasher alone. Shelling and airstrikes in Zamzam camp account for 16% of verified child casualties, though the true toll is likely higher.

UNICEF’s representative in Sudan, Sheldon Yett, has warned that “Children in Al Fasher and Zamzam camp face an unimaginable catastrophe. Death is a daily reality - from violence, starvation, or the collapse of essential services.”

In a statement released on Thursday, UNICEF has warned that since April 2024, 600,000 people - including 300,000 children - have been displaced from North Darfur. In the last six weeks alone, 60,000 more have fled. Meanwhile, 1.65 million people remain trapped, with little to no access to humanitarian aid.

The Tawila-Zamzam road was once a vital supply route. Now, it is impassable as armed groups continue to block aid, leaving communities without food, water, and medical supplies. Meanwhile, food prices have nearly doubled in three months, pushing families further into desperation.

UNICEF and other humanitarian organisations are striving to provide aid, but the situation is critical. North Darfur has 457,000 acutely malnourished children, including 146,000 with severe acute malnutrition (SAM) and the stocks of therapeutic food have run out.

Medical services are also crumbling. Health workers in UNICEF-supported facilities have been forced to flee due to shelling, leaving ill and wounded children without care. Health, nutrition, and water sanitation supplies remain stranded, unable to reach those in desperate need.

UNICEF urges all parties to grant safe humanitarian access. “We cannot turn a blind eye to this hell on earth,” Yett warned. “The world must act - now.”

Pope Francis has repeatedly appealed for peace, calling Sudan’s war “the most serious humanitarian crisis in the world” and urging all parties to cease hostilities.

As Sudan’s crisis worsens, urgent intervention is needed and UNICEF warns that the fate of hundreds of thousands of children hangs in the balance.