5,000 Children Deprived of Care Due to Supply Blockade

Moatinoon
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) said it has been forced to stop outpatient treatment for 5,000 children suffering from acute malnutrition in Zamzam displacement camp in North Darfur, Sudan, due to warring parties blocking the delivery of food, medicine, and other essential supplies for months.

It stated that it had to stop outpatient care for 5,000 children, including 2,900 children suffering from severe acute malnutrition, as supplies dwindled by the end of September. MSF clarified that its 80-bed hospital is still functioning in the camp to treat children at the highest risk of death.

“There is an urgent need for massive supplies of food products to help people; the situation is currently catastrophic,” said Michel-Olivier Lacharité, MSF’s Head of Emergency Operations. He added: "MSF is calling on various parties, governments, allies of the warring factions, the Rapid Support Forces, the Sudanese Armed Forces, and the Joint Forces to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid to the camp."

In recent weeks, some limited supplies have arrived, including medical supplies that MSF was able to transport, but the quantities remain insufficient to meet the needs of the malnourished people in Zamzam camp, which has a population of about 450,000.

Lacharité added: “In the past few days, we have seen some positive signs, with trucks arriving after months of an almost complete blockade around the camp. However, these quantities are still insufficient.” He continued: “These are positive signs, and we can see that the warring parties are starting to recognize the seriousness of the situation and are beginning to allow trucks through.

“If we are to have a comprehensive response, aid agencies must significantly step up their efforts, and all diplomatic actors negotiating with the warring parties must convince them to ensure this supply continues in the coming months,” he stated.