Translation. Region: Russian Federation –
Source: United Nations – United Nations –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
December 30, 2025 Humanitarian aid
Data from the latest health survey conducted by UNICEF in Um Baru district in North Darfur, Sudan, shows that more than half of children suffer from acute malnutrition, and one in six suffer from severe acute malnutrition, which can lead to death within weeks.
A survey conducted from December 19 to 23, involving nearly 500 children, found a 53 percent prevalence of acute malnutrition, with 18 percent suffering from severe acute malnutrition and 35 percent from moderate acute malnutrition. These are among the highest malnutrition rates ever recorded globally, more than three times the World Health Organization (WHO) emergency threshold of 15 percent.
"When severe acute malnutrition reaches this level, time is of the essence," said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell. "The children in Um Baru are fighting for their lives and need immediate help. Every day we don't have safe and unimpeded access to them increases the risk that children will become weaker, and the number of deaths and suffering from preventable causes will increase."
Many residents of the area are recently displaced families who fled the escalation of fighting in El Fasher in late October. Many children in these families have not been vaccinated against measles and other diseases, making them particularly vulnerable.
The crisis is unfolding against a backdrop of growing instability that is severely limiting humanitarian access and hampering the delivery of aid.
Northern Darfur remains the epicenter of Sudan's malnutrition crisis: by November of this year, nearly 85,000 children in the state had been hospitalized with severe malnutrition. UNICEF pre-positioned food supplies, including ready-to-use therapeutic foods, there, but given the scale of the emergency, the region desperately needs comprehensive health and nutrition services.
UNICEF calls on all parties to ensure immediate, safe and unimpeded humanitarian access so that civilians can receive the assistance they need.
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