Across the five states that make up Darfur, UNICEF data revealed a 46 per cent increase in the number of children treated for SAM in January to May 2025 compared to the same period last year.
The rate of acute malnutrition has surpassed emergency levels set by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 9 of the 13 localities across Darfur.
In North Darfur alone, over 40,000 children were admitted for SAM treatment in the first five months of the year – double the number from the same period last year.
Besieged and starved
This malnutrition surge comes amid intensifying conflict in North Darfur since April. Entire neighborhoods have been besieged, hospitals targeted by airstrikes, roads rendered impassable while aid convoys have faced looting and violent attacks.
The situation is particularly catastrophic in El Fasher, where humanitarian access has been nearly completely severed since the RSF militia besieged the city – the last held by Government forces in the region – and cut off assistance in April of 2023.
UNICEF successfully delivered a batch of supplies to El Fasher earlier this year, but efforts to send additional aid have been blocked.
“Children in Darfur are being starved by conflict and cut off from the very aid that could save them,” said Sheldon Yett, UNICEF Representative for Sudan. “This is a moment of truth; children’s lives depend on whether the world chooses to act or look away.”
The crisis has triggered mass displacement in the area: in April, nearly 400,000 people fled the Zamzam camp near El Fasher. Many walked up to 70 kilometres to reach Tawila, where more than 500,000 displaced people survive with little access to food, water, or adequate shelter.
Nationwide crisis
SAM is the deadliest form of malnutrition, and children suffering from it are highly vulnerable to life-threatening complications and face a high risk of death without proper treatment.
And the crisis isn’t limited to the Darfur states – SAM admissions rose by more than 70 per cent in North Kordofan, 174 per cent in Khartoum State and a staggering 683 per cent in Al Jazirah State.
However, the report noted that the rise in admissions in Al Jazirah and Khartoum is partially due to improved security and humanitarian access, enabling more families to reach health centres.
Compounding the crisis is Sudan’s lean season – a period of food scarcity between harvests – which is rapidly increasing the risk of mass child mortality, particularly in areas already nearing famine thresholds.
Cholera outbreaks, measles cases and collapsing health services are further aggravating the crisis, putting vulnerable children at even greater risk.
UNICEF response
UNICEF and its partners are saving lives by treating the wounded and malnourished, drilling wells and distributing food. But despite their best efforts, the violence is driving needs faster than they can be met.
UNICEF is calling on all parties to allow unimpeded humanitarian access to affected populations and urges renewed diplomatic pressure on all sides for a cessation of hostilities.
The agency is also appealing to the international community for more lifesaving funds. An additional $200 million is needed this year to sustain and expand essential nutrition services, including treatment for acute malnutrition.
