Faith Nyasuguta
United Nations agencies have reported a devastating toll of over 1,200 young lives lost in Sudan’s refugee camps due to suspected measles and malnutrition.
This grim news comes with a dire warning that thousands more, including vulnerable newborns, are on the verge of peril as we approach the end of the year.
Speaking at a U.N. briefing held in Geneva, Dr. Allen Maina, the chief of public health at the U.N. refugee agency (UNHCR), delivered the tragic reality that since May, more than 1,200 children under the age of five have tragically perished in Sudan’s White Nile state.
Dr. Maina’s somber statement was underscored by his bleak prediction: “Unfortunately, we anticipate these numbers will continue to rise.”
UNICEF, the U.N. children’s agency, expressed profound concern for the “many thousands of newborns” among the 333,000 infants expected to be born by the end of the year. These infants and their mothers urgently require skilled delivery care.
However, in a nation grappling with widespread conflict and displacement, and where essential medical supplies are in critically short supply, access to such crucial care is rapidly slipping out of reach. During the same briefing, James Elder, UNICEF’s spokesperson, delivered this sobering message.
Adding to the crisis, Sudan is grappling with a relentless battle against severe malnutrition, with around 55,000 children needing treatment every month. Shockingly, only a small fraction of nutrition centers are operational, with less than one in 50 serving the capital city, Khartoum, and just one in ten functioning in West Darfur.
The stark reality of this humanitarian catastrophe demands immediate global attention and intervention, as countless lives hang in the balance amid Sudan’s ongoing conflict and healthcare crisis.
RELATED:
