A nutritional research A survey this month in the town of Um Baru in the Sudanese state of North Darfur – one of the regions hardest hit by the fighting – found that more than half of children under five are acutely malnourished.
These are among the highest figures ever recorded in a UN Children’s Fund standardized emergency assessment (UNICEF), warned that without urgent, unhindered humanitarian access, children are at immediate risk of death from preventable causes.
The study screened almost 500 children and found an acute malnutrition rate of 53 percent – more than three times the World Health Organization’s emergency threshold. Eighteen percent of the children suffered from severe acute malnutrition, a life-threatening condition that, if left untreated, can be fatal within weeks.
“When severe acute malnutrition reaches this level, time becomes the most critical factor.” said Catherine Russell, Executive Director of UNICEF. “Children in Um Baru are fighting for their lives and need immediate help.”
Displacement from El Fasher fuels the crisis
North Darfur has become the epicenter of Sudan’s hunger crisis after intense fighting in and around El Fasher, the state capital and the last major government stronghold in the region, which fell in October after more than 500 days of siege.
Many families now sheltering in Um Baru have recently been displaced, having fled El Fasher and surrounding areas since October.
said UNICEF Many children among the displaced have missed routine immunizations, including against measles, making them highly vulnerable to disease. The survey also recorded crude mortality rates at emergency levels, underscoring the deadly convergence of hunger, disease and lack of basic services.
Although life-saving supplies such as ready-to-eat therapeutic foods are already on hand, UNICEF emphasizes that nutritional treatment alone is insufficient. Holistic health and nutrition services are urgently needed given the scale of the emergency, the agency said.
© UNICEF/Mohammed Jamal
In December 2025, a child is screened for malnutrition at a UNICEF-supported nutrition center in North Darfur, Sudan. The red color indicates severe acute malnutrition (SAM).
Access remains severely limited
Humanitarian access remains one of the biggest obstacles.
On December 26, after lengthy negotiations, a UN team conducted its first security assessment in El Fasher since the siege began, visiting the Saudi hospital for several hours and speaking to residents trapped in the town.
UN staff reported a serious lack of basic facilities and services.
Humanitarian convoys carrying food and medical aid have not been allowed into El Fasher for months, forcing hundreds of thousands of civilians to flee while those who remain face extreme hardship.
The flow of refugees into Chad continues
As conditions worsen, displacement outside Sudan’s borders is increasing.
The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reported that nearly 19,400 Sudanese refugees have entered eastern Chad since attacks escalated around El Fasher in late October.
Women and children make up 87 percent of the newcomersMany reached the border exhausted and traumatized after fleeing violence, sexual abuse and extortion. Since the end of October, more than 2,700 unaccompanied or separated children and more than 1,100 people with disabilities have been registered.
Despite insecurity and restrictions on movement along key routes, an average of around 250 refugees have entered Chad per day in recent weeks. UNHCR warned about this cross-border movements are likely to continue as fighting, economic collapse and protection risks increase.
A recent security incident at the Tiné border crossing – in which a Sudanese army drone struck a position occupied by Chadian forces – briefly forced the suspension of humanitarian activities, highlighting the volatile conditions under which aid is being delivered.
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