Over 230 thousand mothers and children in Sudan may perish due to starvation
In Sudan, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports that over 25 million people, including more than 14 million children, require humanitarian assistance and support. The situation is dire, with every second person in the country needing aid to meet their basic needs.
According to the OCHA, more than 220,000 children and 7,000 mothers are at risk of death in the coming months if their needs are not met. This alarming figure is likely to be higher due to the increased number of people in need of aid.
To address this crisis, the international community is urged to scale up humanitarian aid focused on food security, nutrition, health services, and cash assistance programs. Key actions include providing emergency food and nutrition support, expanding cash transfer programs, strengthening health and sanitation services, supporting financial inclusion and economic resilience, mobilizing funding and pressure for unhindered humanitarian access, and coordinating internationally to address wider systemic drivers.
Emergency feeding programs currently only cover 5.5% of the total needs in the country, a figure that is likely to be lower due to the increased number of people in need of aid. As a result, many children are likely to suffer from dehydration, hypothermia, and hypoglycemia in the upcoming months due to severe malnutrition. These children will require intensive care at specialized hospitals.
Pregnant women in Sudan are skipping meals to allow their children to eat, creating grave concerns for the health of the babies when born. In addition, over 2.9 million children in Sudan are acutely malnourished, with an additional 729,000 children under the age of five suffering from severe acute malnutrition.
Save The Children Country Director, Arif Noor, stated that the nutrition situation in Sudan is one of the worst in the world, with a worsening cycle of hunger with no end in sight. The OCHA does not specify the number of children acutely malnourished or suffering from severe acute malnutrition, but the numbers are likely to be higher due to the increased number of people in need of aid.
The OCHA also reports that 1.2 million pregnant and breastfeeding women will suffer from malnutrition this year and face severe health complications during and after delivery.
Swift international engagement combining these elements through UN agencies, NGOs, and local partners is critical to avert famine conditions and save lives among Sudan's most vulnerable populations. The clock is ticking, and urgent action is needed to prevent a humanitarian disaster in Sudan.
[1] OCHA (2024). Humanitarian Needs Overview: Sudan. Retrieved from https://www.unocha.org/sudan [2] Save The Children (2024). Sudan: A Nutrition Crisis with No End in Sight. Retrieved from https://www.savethechildren.net/news/sudan-a-nutrition-crisis-with-no-end-in-sight [3] World Food Programme (2024). Sudan: Hunger Crisis Threatens Millions of Lives. Retrieved from https://www.wfp.org/sudan/hunger-crisis-threatens-millions-lives
