13 children died of malnutrition-related causes in a Darfur camp, a Sudan doctors’ group says

People board a truck as they leave Khartoum, Sudan, on June 19, 2023. (AP Photo)

CAIRO — Thirteen children died of malnutrition-related causes last month in a camp for displaced people in the Darfur region of Sudan, where civil war has created the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, a doctors’ group said Tuesday.

The deaths in the Lagawa camp in East Darfur province were the latest tragedy in Sudan, which plunged into chaos in April 2023 when tensions between the military and the notorious paramilitary Rapid Support Forces exploded in the capital, Khartoum, and quickly spread.

The Sudan Doctors Network, a group of Sudanese medical professionals across the northeastern African country, reported the children’s deaths in a statement. It said the camp, which hosts more than 7,000 displaced people, mostly women and children, suffers from a severe food shortage.

The group urged the international community and aid groups to scale up humanitarian assistance to the camp amid increasing rates of malnutrition, especially among children. But aid groups have pleaded for the warring sides to allow in more humanitarian assistance.

UNICEF reported earlier this month a 46% surge in the number of children being treated for severe acute malnutrition — the most deadly form of malnutrition — across Darfur between January and May, compared to the same period last year.

The UN agency said over 40,000 children were admitted for treatment for severe acute malnutrition in North Darfur province, double the number for the same period last year.

Famine has been detected in multiple areas in Darfur and the southern region of Kordofan.

The civil war has wrecked Sudan’s health system, creating a breeding ground for diseases and affecting the well-being of millions, including already vulnerable communities. There are outbreaks of cholera, measles and malaria.

“This is a moment of truth; children’s lives depend on whether the world chooses to act or look away,” Sheldon Yett, UNICEF Representative for Sudan, has said.

The war has killed thousands of people and driven about 13 million from their homes, including 4 million who crossed into neighboring countries.

The fighting also has been marked by atrocities including mass rape and ethnically motivated killings that amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity, especially in Darfur, according to the UN and international rights groups.

Samy Magdy, The Associated Press