The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) warned on Friday that the number of children suffering from severe acute malnutrition in Sudan’s North Darfur state has doubled compared to the same period in 2024.
Since April 2023, Sudan has been gripped by a brutal war between the army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), leading to tens of thousands of deaths and over 14 million people displaced.
North Darfur, where RSF forces have besieged the state capital El Fasher, is among the hardest-hit areas. Last year, famine was declared in three camps for displaced persons near the city.
In a statement, UNICEF said more than 40,000 children with severe acute malnutrition were treated in North Darfur between January and May 2025—double the number recorded during the same period in 2024.
UNICEF Representative in Sudan, Sheldon Yett, said, “Children in Darfur are starving because of the conflict and are being deprived of life-saving aid.”
The agency also reported a 46% rise in cases of severe acute malnutrition across the five states of Darfur during the first five months of 2025 compared to the same period last year.
El Fasher remains the only state capital in Darfur not under RSF control, though it has been under siege since May 2024. The city’s hospitals have been bombed, aid convoys attacked, and humanitarian access severely restricted.
The UN stated this week that nearly 40% of children under five in El Fasher are malnourished, including 11% with severe acute malnutrition.
UNICEF also noted alarming spikes in malnutrition in other war-affected regions, reporting increases of over 70% in North Kordofan, 174% in Khartoum, and approximately 700% in Al Jazirah state compared to the same period in 2024.
