A significant number of children who escaped the ongoing conflict in Sudan are currently grappling with malnutrition. In a refugee camp situated in Adre, Chad, several mothers are awaiting medical attention outside a field hospital with their ailing children. Amna Mousa, who fled Sudan in June, recounted her ordeal of sickness during pregnancy, along with her daughter’s diarrhea and vomiting.
Aid workers at the camp have expressed concern about the scarcity of medications and have urgently appealed for medical support. A volunteer doctor, Hashem Moussa, highlighted the need for proper medications for malnourished patients, which are currently lacking.
According to Save the Children, approximately 500 children, including two dozen infants in a Khartoum government-run orphanage, have died from starvation in Sudan since the onset of the conflict. The aid organization also revealed that over 31,000 children lack access to malnutrition treatment and related healthcare due to the closure of 57 nutrition centers in Sudan.
The conflict, ignited in April, has led to over 3.4 million individuals being displaced within Sudan, with more than a million crossing into neighboring countries such as Chad, Egypt, South Sudan, Ethiopia, and the Central African Republic. Chad has seen an influx of over 414,000 refugees since the conflict’s commencement, particularly due to escalated fighting in Darfur.
The conflict has ravaged urban areas like Khartoum, rendering many without basic necessities like water and electricity, and the healthcare system has nearly collapsed. The Darfur region, plagued by severe violence, has witnessed the conflict evolving into ethnic clashes, targeting ethnic African communities by the RSF and allied Arab militia.
