Siege and Starvation Decimate Children in Sudan

War and Siege: A Childhood Trapped Between Hunger and Disease

Report by: Haydar Abdel Karim

Since the outbreak of war between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in mid-April 2023, Sudan has been experiencing one of the most perilous humanitarian catastrophes in its modern history. The tightening grip of the siege, the prevention of supplies, and the collapse of health services have made obtaining food and medicine a daily challenge for families. This dire situation is threatening the lives of children, especially those under the age of five (early childhood), in Darfur, Kordofan, and displacement camps.

In the Adré camp, eastern Chad, Makka Mohammed, a woman in her forties and a mother of four, recounts her flight from El Geneina: “The war broke out when my baby was only forty days old. We lost everything. Childhood vaccinations are no longer a priority because of the distress we live in. Providing a livelihood is our biggest concern; we need a morsel to eat with our children, especially after their father was killed.” Makka explains that food aid is limited, which led to one of her children suffering from severe malnutrition, impacting their growth.

The World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF estimate that over 700,000 Sudanese children are suffering from malnutrition. Last year, UN agencies warned that the conflict risks a complete collapse of the nutritional situation. With the acute shortage of vaccination doses among children, the lives of an entire generation are exposed to the risk of famine and disease due to the lack of food, medicine, and water, and the consequences of the collapse of health and sanitation services. Furthermore, waves of displacement have deprived millions of humanitarian aid in shelters and refugee camps, dramatically escalating the threat to children’s lives.

Malnutrition and Lack of Care: A Crisis Threatening Children’s Lives

UN data shows that 15.6% of children in Central Darfur and 30% of children in internal displacement camps suffer from acute malnutrition. In contrast, field examinations reveal that more than a third of pregnant and lactating women do not receive the minimum required food and healthcare, leading to difficulties in childbirth, reduced immunity in infants, and a complete lack of access to essential vaccinations.

Alawiya Abdelaziz, a nutrition expert working with an aid organization in the displacement camps of the Darfur region, confirms that children suffering from severe malnutrition are 11 times more likely to die compared to their peers. She stresses that early deprivation of food and primary vaccinations leaves a long-term impact on physical and cognitive development and increases susceptibility to infectious diseases.

Humanitarian organizations face immense difficulties in delivering aid, as the siege, road closures, and the targeting of villages have resulted in severe shortages of food, water, and medicine. With the prices of basic necessities soaring to unaffordable levels, the fight against hunger has become a daily battle threatening the lives of hundreds of thousands of children.

In Darfur alone, prior to the fall of El Fasher, UNICEF documented the killing or injury of nearly 70 children in less than three months. Zamzam camp witnessed 16% of child injuries resulting from shelling during that period, reflecting the scale of the

Return of Childhood Diseases and Loss of Vaccination: A Rising Threat

The supply and storage chains for vaccines have been damaged in North Kordofan, Al Jazirah, and Sennar states. Thousands of children have missed their doses against preventable diseases such as polio, measles, whooping cough, diphtheria, and Hepatitis B. Central warehouses in Khartoum have been disrupted, and cold storage rooms have ceased operation, depriving hundreds of thousands of immunization.

The interruption of routine immunization programs for over two years has led to indicators of the return of five of the most dangerous childhood diseases, with serious complications including permanent paralysis and acute respiratory infections. Children under two years old, in particular, face double the risk due to weak immunity and the absence of essential doses.

In the Adré camp, Mariam Abdullah talks about her child, who has not received any vaccination since birth a year ago: “All we cared about was food.” Rania Abdullah, displaced from Nyala, recounts that her dau2ghter “Aya” also missed all her doses and her health deteriorated during the twenty-day displacement journey, before she was admitted to a health center run by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) in eastern Chad to receive treatment for severe malnutrition that lasted for over two months.

Medical reports show that the halt in immunization programs has allowed the re-emergence of five major diseases, some of which Sudan had eradicated years ago. These diseases include polio, measles, whooping cough, diphtheria, and Hepatitis B, all of which pose a direct threat to children’s lives and increase the likelihood of death or permanent disability.

A Generation on the Verge of Loss: Urgent Calls to Save the Children

The United Nations estimates that about 457,000 Sudanese children are suffering from acute malnutrition, including 146,000 in a critical condition requiring urgent intervention. With the collapse of the health system, the suspension of vaccination programs, and the absence of medical centers in conflict zones, Sudanese childhood appears more threatened than ever.

The Immunization Administration at the Ministry of Health emphasizes that saving these children requires an urgent ceasefire, the resumption of health facilities’ operations, securing the vaccine supply chains, and opening safe corridors for food and medicine access. The crisis is not merely a service shortage; it is a direct threat to the lives of an entire generation, which could leave scars extending for decades on the country’s future.

With continued fighting and a lack of access to aid, thousands of children remain under the constant threat of death due to disease, putting the international community to an urgent test to halt the collapse, uphold children’s rights amid conflicts, and ensure the protection of children under five, who constitute the most vulnerable group in this war amidst the breakdown of essential services and the lack of humanitarian access.

This story was produced with support from the Moving Minds Alliance (MMA) through the Reporters for Early Age Children in Crisis (REACH) Advocacy Stories Fund.