4 months of conflict, nearly 500 children died

At least 498 children in Sudan and possibly hundreds more have died of starvation after four months of conflict, the UK charity Save the Children said.

Famine has claimed the lives of nearly 500 children in Sudan after four months of conflict. (Source: Flickr)

In a statement on August 22, Save the Children stated that in the capital Khartoum alone, at least 50 children, including at least 20 infants, died of starvation or related diseases in an orphanage. Fighting between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces (RSF) prevented staff from accessing the building to care for the children.

Since violence erupted in April, Save the Children has been forced to close 57 nutrition care facilities, leaving 31,000 children across the country without treatment for malnutrition and related illnesses. At the 108 facilities it still operates, food stocks are “severely depleted.”

"We never thought we would see so many children dying of hunger, but this is the reality in Sudan," said Dr Arif Noor, Save the Children's country director in Sudan.

With humanitarian access dwindling, “the international community must step up and work not only to increase funding but also to find common solutions to ensure that much-needed food and assistance can be safely delivered to children and families across Sudan, including those trapped by the fighting,” said Arif Noor.

Last week, the heads of 20 international humanitarian organizations warned that more than 6 million Sudanese people were on the brink of famine.

Save the Children has been working in Sudan since 1983. In 2022, the organization directly reached 2.1 million people, including 1.5 million children, with programming focused on child protection, access to quality education, health and nutrition support, and emergency response.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/sudan-4-thang-xung-dot-gan-500-tre-tu-vong-239318.html