Thirteen children have died from malnutrition-related causes in a displacement camp in Sudan’s war-torn Darfur region, a doctors’ group reported.
The Sudan Doctors Network said the deaths occurred last month in Lagawa camp, East Darfur, which shelters over 7,000 people, mostly women and children.
With food supplies critically low, the network urged international agencies to expand humanitarian aid as malnutrition surges among displaced populations.
Sudan plunged into chaos in April 2023, when fighting erupted between the General Abdel Fattah al Burhan’s army and the Rapid Support Forces in Khartoum.
The conflict has spread across the country, crippling infrastructure and plunging millions into one of the world’s worst humanitarian catastrophes.
UNICEF said severe acute malnutrition cases in Darfur rose 46% between January and May compared to the same period last year.
In North Darfur alone, over 40,000 children were admitted for life-saving treatment—twice as many as in 2023.
Famine has already taken hold in parts of Darfur and the southern Kordofan region, adding to the spiralling crisis.
The war has shattered Sudan’s healthcare system, fuelling outbreaks of cholera, measles, and malaria in overcrowded camps.
“This is a moment of truth; children’s lives depend on whether the world chooses to act or look away,” said UNICEF’s Sudan representative Sheldon Yett.
The conflict has killed thousands and displaced 13 million people, including 4 million who have fled to neighbouring countries.
