Emergency response groups in Um Kadada, North Darfur, have warned that the area has entered what they described as widespread famine conditions, saying mass deaths could occur within days without urgent humanitarian assistance.
The Um Kadada Emergency Rooms Council said around 244,500 people are facing severe shortages of food, medicine and safe drinking water, while extreme poverty and the loss of livelihoods have sharply reduced families’ ability to buy basic goods.
According to the council, more than 84% of residents are struggling to obtain enough food. Community kitchens, originally established for displaced people, have become a main source of food for many residents but are receiving only about 5% of the funding they require.
The council said children, pregnant women and the elderly were particularly at risk, with acute malnutrition, malaria and diarrhoeal diseases spreading as health and sanitation services deteriorate.
Water prices have also surged, with the cost of a barrel reportedly rising from about 5,000 Sudanese pounds to 15,000. Some families spend several hours collecting small quantities of water.
Um Kadada has one hospital and 26 health centres, but only 18 centres remain operational, according to the assessment. The locality is also hosting more than 81,000 internally displaced people.
The emergency rooms called for an immediate humanitarian response, including food and cash assistance, safe water, medical supplies and direct funding for community kitchens. They also urged UN agencies to carry out a joint assessment within 48 hours and called for a safe humanitarian corridor into the area.
The council warned that without rapid intervention, the worsening food crisis and collapse of basic services could develop into a much broader humanitarian catastrophe.
