Children expected to die of hunger in Darfur “within days,” says UN Sudan chief
UN’s humanitarian coord. Denise Brown warns of “horrendous” conditions 1,000 days into brutal war
Middle East Eye, January 15, 2026 | https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/darfur-children-expected-die-hunger-within-days-says-un-top-sudan-official
Children in Darfur are expected to die from hunger “within days” as famine conditions persist more than 1,000 days into the brutal conflict, the United Nations’ top Sudan official has warned. Speaking to Middle East Eye on Wednesday, following recent UN missions to conflict-affected areas, Denise Brown, the UN’s resident and humanitarian coordinator in Sudan, said aid agencies were uncovering “horrendous” conditions as limited access is negotiated to previously unreachable locations. Brown said that two weeks ago the UN found malnutrition rates among children in Um Baru in North Darfur to have reached 53 percent.
“This is three times higher than the standard emergency levels. I’ve actually never seen anything like this,” she told MEE, speaking from Port Sudan. Many of these children are suffering severe acute malnutrition, a deadly condition if left untreated. Top of Form Bottom of Form“We can expect deaths within days, for sure weeks,” Brown said. “Frankly, it’s quite devastating to see this in the communities.” The war in Sudan, which has been raging since April 2023, triggered what the UN calls the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.
Fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has killed thousands, displaced nearly 13 million people, and pushed over 40 percent of the population into acute food insecurity.
“There’s a pattern of atrocities that have been carried out in Sudan,” Brown said. “World leaders need to work out how to interrupt that pattern before the next one takes place. This is of paramount importance for the women and children of this country who are bearing the brunt of this war.”
Brown’s warning aligns with the latest findings from the UN-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) system, and the US-funded Famine Early Warning Systems Network (Fews Net). In its latest assessment in November, based on the IPC classification, FewsNet reported that famine conditions were persisting in el-Fasher in North Darfur and Kadugli in South Kordofan, even during what should be Sudan’s post-harvest period.
The world’s hunger watchdog warned of catastrophe in Sudan. Famine struck anyway.
Reuters, December 5 2024 (Zamzam IDP camp, North Darfur) https://www.reuters.com/graphics/FAMINE-RESPONSE/SUDAN/zdvxqkqxnpx/
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The IPC’s [Integrated Food Security Phase Classification] finding of famine in Zamzam in August came late, said Eric Reeves, who heads Team Zamzam, a charity providing aid at the camp. And given the difficulty of consistently getting aid in, the IPC warning “has made absolutely no difference to the lives of the people of Zamzam.” A scholar who has studied Sudan for 26 years, Reeves said the Sudan hunger crisis is greater than any the world has seen in decades.
“The dying from starvation will not stop until there is full humanitarian access, and even then it will be difficult to forestall the deaths of many hundreds of thousands,” he said. “Once underway, true famine is extremely difficult to bring to an end.”
Herders vs. farmers: No harvests possible in hunger-stricken Darfur
Ayin Network | 30 December 2025
Farmers across Darfur report widespread destruction of crops by livestock belonging to herders, often before harvest, leaving families unable to reap any yields in a region already facing severe hunger….
Hopes that the 2025 agricultural season would ease famine conditions were dashed, as IPC data shows 71% of El Fasher’s population facing famine conditions. Not to mention the rest of the country, as Darfur typically provides 15 – 25% of Sudan’s staple food crops….
When sheep were grazing on farms during the autumn harvest season east of El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur State, none of the farmers could speak out, fearing retaliation, says human rights activist Halima Shakra. After the sheep were satiated, the farmers picked what little remained.
“Only 10 percent of farmers in the Dar es Salaam areas of North Darfur State were able to access their farms and cultivate,” Shakra said.
Sudan war leaves millions hungry and displaced as health system nears collapse
UN News: Global perspective Human stories | 10 January 2026
Sudan’s protracted conflict has spiraled into one of the world’s most severe humanitarian crises, with hunger, displacement and the collapse of basic services exacting a daily toll on civilians.
UN agencies warn that nearly three years of sustained violence, restricted humanitarian access and shrinking funding have pushed Sudan into what they describe as the largest humanitarian emergency in the world. An estimated 33.7 million people – around two thirds of the population – are expected to need humanitarian assistance in 2026. More than 20 million people now require health assistance, while 21 million face acute food insecurity.
Devastating impact
The conflict erupted in April 2023 following a power struggle between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), plunging the country into a civil war that has spread from the capital Khartoum to Darfur, Kordofan and other regions.
The fighting has devastated infrastructure, fractured state institutions and left civilians exposed to widespread violence, displacement and deprivation. Repeated ceasefire efforts have failed, and large swathes of the country remain inaccessible to humanitarian actors due to insecurity, bureaucratic constraints and ongoing hostilities.
A health system on the brink
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Sudan’s health system has been pushed close to collapse by ongoing fighting, mass displacement and repeated attacks on medical facilities. More than one third of health facilities nationwide are non-functional, cutting millions off from essential and lifesaving care. Since the conflict began, WHO has verified 201 attacks on healthcare, resulting in 1,858 deaths and 490 injuries. Such attacks violate international humanitarian law and place patients, caregivers and health workers at grave risk.
“One thousand days of conflict in Sudan have driven the health system to the brink of collapse,” said Shible Sahbani, WHO Representative in Sudan. “Under the strain of disease, hunger and lack of access to basic services, people face a devastating situation.” Despite insecurity and access constraints, WHO continues to support lifesaving services, having delivered more than 3,300 metric tonnes of medicines and medical supplies worth around $40 million. It also supported cholera vaccination campaigns and helped millions access care through hospitals, primary health centres and mobile clinics.
Mass displacement
Sudan is also the world’s largest displacement crisis, with an estimated 13.6 million people uprooted by the fighting – around 9.3 million internally displaced and a further 4.3 million seeking refuge in neighbouring countries. Overcrowded living conditions, poor sanitation and disrupted services have fuelled outbreaks of cholera, malaria, dengue and measles across much of the country.
Children bearing the heaviest burden
Children make up about half of those expected to need humanitarian assistance in 2026, according to the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF). “Children continue to be killed and injured,” said UNICEF Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa Edouard Beigbeder, noting that eight children were reportedly killed in a single attack in North Kordofan this week alone. In North Darfur alone, nearly 85,000 children suffering from severe acute malnutrition were treated between January and November 2025 – roughly one child every six minutes – underscoring the scale of the crisis.
Calls for peace and access
Both WHO and UNICEF stress that humanitarian action, while lifesaving, cannot substitute for peace. “To meet the mounting needs and prevent the crisis from spiralling out of hand, WHO and humanitarian partners require safe and unimpeded access to all areas of Sudan, and increased financial resources,” Dr. Sahbani said. For children, UNICEF warns, only an end to the fighting can halt the erosion of safety, health and hope.
“All parties must uphold their obligations under international humanitarian law: protect civilians, stop attacks on infrastructure, and allow safe, sustained and unimpeded humanitarian access,” Mr. Beigbeder said.