The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) highlighted the urgent need for life-saving treatment in a joint statement released late Friday.
"There are 3.7 million children under five projected to suffer from severe acute malnutrition this year alone and are in urgent need of life-saving treatment," the statement read. "These children are already weakened by hunger. If not reached soon, these children are 11 times more likely to die from preventable diseases than their healthier peers in Sudan."
UNHCR Assistant High Commissioner for Operations Raouf Mazou and UNICEF Deputy Executive Director Ted Chaiban emphasized the worsening crisis, noting that millions of people are in desperate need of assistance. A critical challenge has been ensuring safe, unimpeded access to communities in need across Sudan.
UN agencies stressed the necessity for government authorities to permit a sustained presence for aid delivery and technical assistance. The statement described Sudan as "home to one of the world's largest and most pressing displacement crises," with over 11 million people displaced internally and across borders, pushing millions, especially children, into extreme vulnerability.
"An estimated 13 million people are facing acute levels of food insecurity. Fourteen regions across the country are teetering on the brink of famine," the statement added. Access to basic services such as safe water, healthcare, and shelter remains severely limited, underscoring the need for an intensified international response to match the overwhelming scale of need.
The two agencies reaffirmed their commitment to supporting the people of Sudan and called for sustained international backing, including attention to a political resolution to the conflict. They emphasized that the protection of civilians must be paramount, urging all parties to respect international humanitarian law.
The UN has reported that half of Sudan's population, approximately 25 million people, require humanitarian assistance and protection. The country has been ravaged by a deadly conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces since mid-April 2023. According to a situation report by the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project on Oct. 14, the conflict has resulted in over 24,850 deaths. (ILKHA)