Sudan Reports 239 Children Dead Since January
(MENAFN) Since January, at least 239 children have died in western Sudan due to severe shortages of food and medical supplies, the Sudan Doctors Network reported on Sunday.
The civilian medical group revealed that its team documented these child fatalities linked to malnutrition and critical lack of essentials in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, from January through June.
The organization cautioned that hunger is intensifying and that children’s nutrition warehouses in El Fasher continue to be targeted amid an ongoing siege by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
“The Network deeply regrets the international community’s continued neglect of Darfur’s children, who have endured more than a year under siege,” the statement declared. It also highlighted that El Fasher and its nearby camps face a near-total absence of food and medical supplies, alongside skyrocketing prices for basic goods.
An urgent call was made to save the remaining civilians trapped in El Fasher, who are living under relentless siege and bombardment.
The Network pressed regional and global bodies to “put pressure on the Rapid Support Forces to accept and implement the truce proposed by the UN Secretary-General.”
“Immediate action is needed to open humanitarian corridors, allow the delivery of emergency aid and medical supplies, and lift the siege that has gripped El Fasher for over a year,” the statement emphasized.
Clashes between Sudan’s army and the RSF have rocked El Fasher since May 10, despite global alerts warning about the escalating conflict in the city, which serves as the primary base for humanitarian efforts throughout Darfur’s five states.
On Friday, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, chair of Sudan’s Sovereign Council, authorized a seven-day humanitarian ceasefire in El Fasher following a call from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, according to a statement from the Sovereign Council.
Guterres requested the week-long truce to facilitate the delivery of aid to civilians trapped in the besieged city.
The Sovereign Council did not disclose the exact start date of the ceasefire.
The RSF has yet to issue an immediate response.
Since April 2023, the RSF and Sudanese army have been engaged in a ruthless power struggle that has caused thousands of deaths and pushed Sudan into a dire humanitarian catastrophe.
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