War and hunger threaten to “consume” Sudan, where hundreds of thousands of malnourished children are at risk of dying, as fighting between rival generals rages on, the United Nations warned Friday.
On April 15, a battle between General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan’s army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) under the command of Mohamed Hamdan Daglo erupted.
“The war in Sudan is fuelling a humanitarian emergency of epic proportions,” said Martin Griffiths, under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator.
“This viral conflict –- and the hunger, disease and displacement left in its wake –- now threatens to consume the entire country.”
Nearly 5,000 people have died, according to conservative estimates from the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data project.
However, the fights have made it impossible to find the corpses of many additional people who were believed to have perished.
According to UN statistics, more than 4.6 million people have been compelled to evacuate their homes in the four months since conflict first started.
“The longer the fighting continues, the more devastating its impact. Some places have already run out of food,” Griffiths’ statement said.
“Hundreds of thousands of children are severely malnourished and at imminent risk of death if left untreated.”
The UN official said that in Kadugli, in South Kordofan state, “food stocks have been fully depleted, as clashes and road blockages prevent aid workers from reaching the hungry.”
