New York , May 31(Darfur 24)
UN agencies have warned of the rapid deterioration of the nutritional status of children and mothers as the war rages in Sudan, and called for urgent measures to be taken “to protect an entire generation from malnutrition, disease and death.”
A recent analysis, conducted by UNICEF, the World Food Program and the World Health Organization, showed that the ongoing hostilities in the country are exacerbating the causes of malnutrition in children, including lack of access to nutritious food, safe drinking water and sanitation, and increased risk of disease, all of which are compounded by displacement. Collective.
In a joint statement obtained by Darfur 24, the agencies issued a stark warning that Sudan faces “an increasing risk of conflict-triggered famine, which will have catastrophic consequences.”
vicious circle
The statement indicated that malnutrition rates among children in Sudan have reached emergency levels, as humanitarian workers continue their struggle to deliver aid amid increasing violence and bureaucratic obstacles. She warned that the situation has deteriorated in recent months, while there are “no signs of abating.”
“Malnutrition and disease reinforce each other, with sick children becoming malnourished more easily, and malnourished children becoming sick more easily and having worse outcomes,” he said. Even when children recover, malnutrition can have lifelong effects on physical and cognitive development. “Sudan risks losing a generation, with serious implications for the country’s future.”
UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell called on the parties to the conflict to urgently allow humanitarian aid to reach children in Sudan, who are suffering “horrific violence, displacement and trauma – and now face possible famine.”
Maternal sacrifice
UN agencies said malnutrition levels were particularly worrying among pregnant and breastfeeding mothers, citing an assessment conducted by Doctors Without Borders last month in Zamzam camp in North Darfur, which found that more than 33 percent of pregnant and breastfeeding women suffered from malnutrition, “which “It indicates that they are likely sacrificing their own needs to feed their children.”
World Food Program Executive Director Cindy McCain said mothers and children across Sudan were emaciated due to malnutrition, adding that the ongoing war had “deprived them of everything they needed to survive.”
She stressed that the lives of millions are at risk and the international community must act now, “otherwise we risk losing an entire generation of children.”
Ongoing crisis
For his part, Director-General of the World Health Organization, Tedros Ghebreyesus, stressed that malnutrition “is not a one-time crisis.”
He explained that children who suffer from malnutrition face developmental challenges and health problems throughout their lives, and are more likely to die from infectious diseases. “The clock is ticking, bringing mothers and children in Sudan closer to starvation,” he said.