Three UN Agencies: Sudan Risks Losing an Entire Generation of Children
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Three United Nations agencies have reported that child malnutrition in Sudan has reached emergency levels, particularly among pregnant and lactating women. They expect the situation for children and women in Sudan to worsen in the coming months.
On Thursday, three UN agencies issued a severe warning that all indicators point to a significant decline in the nutritional status of children and mothers in war-torn Sudan. They stressed that the lives of Sudanese children are in grave danger, and urgent action is needed to protect an entire generation from malnutrition, disease, and death.
The agencies called for "immediate and unhindered humanitarian access to communities experiencing the worst impacts of this prolonged and brutal conflict, through all possible entry points and cross-border routes with neighboring countries, in addition to de-escalating the situation in El Fasher and achieving a nationwide ceasefire. We continue to rely on renewed, substantial, and expanded support from donors. The window to avert the worst outcome is closing rapidly."
UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell said, "Children in Sudan are experiencing horrendous levels of violence, displacement, and trauma — and now they are facing potential famine. Severe malnutrition affects their physical and cognitive development, and the damage can be lifelong. Parties to the conflict must allow rapid humanitarian access so that children can receive food, water, healthcare, and shelter. Most importantly, children need peace."
World Food Programme Executive Director Cindy McCain stated, "Women and children across Sudan are wasting away due to malnutrition, stripped of everything they need to survive: food, medical support, and shelter. We need safe and immediate access to provide the humanitarian aid they desperately need. Without this assistance, this crisis could become the world’s largest hunger emergency. Millions of lives are at grave risk, and the international community must act now or risk losing an entire generation of children."
World Health Organization Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus remarked, "Malnutrition is not a one-time crisis; children suffering from malnutrition face lifelong health and developmental challenges and are more likely to die from infectious diseases. Time is running out, and Sudans children and women are on the brink of famine. WHO and its partners are on the ground to prevent and treat severe malnutrition to save these precious lives, but we need continuous humanitarian access and full financial support to do so."
