Sudan's Children Starving Amidst War and Climate Crisis: Parents Face Impossible Choices

In Omdurman, Riham Ata, a two-year-old child from a recently liberated area of Khartoum, lies in a severe malnutrition ward at Al-Buluk Hospital. This facility was Khartoum's sole functioning pediatric hospital throughout the devastating two-year civil war that commenced in April 2023.

Layla Ali journeyed two and a half hours from the village of al-Lalouba to Port Sudan seeking aid for her five-year-old son, Adam. His ribs were starkly visible due to severe malnutrition, and he had lost his appetite and the ability to move. The significant distance to the hospital and Ali's concerns about treatment costs initially deterred her from seeking immediate medical attention. However, as Adam's condition worsened, she felt compelled to bring him to the hospital.

"We spent five days in hospital while my son received treatment. He suffers from recurring bouts of malnutrition, but this time we brought him to hospital because I was afraid he might die," Ali recounted to Al Jazeera. "When Adam became ill, he would stop eating. I used to give him the usual meals we prepared at home, mostly porridge and milk. But the doctors have now helped me understand which foods are appropriate for his age and the nutrients he needs."

Adam's plight mirrors a broader crisis engulfing children across Sudan, a nation grappling with a civil war since April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary. The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) projects that 825,000 children under five will face severe acute malnutrition in 2026, marking a 7 percent increase from 2025.

During the first six months of this year, UNICEF and its partners provided treatment to 174,700 children suffering from severe acute malnutrition nationwide. Port Sudan Teaching Hospital alone has recorded 433 such cases between January and August. Maryam Gadalsid, a nutrition counsellor at the hospital, noted the continuous rise in malnutrition admissions, straining medical staff and leading to overcrowding, with three children sharing a single bed in the 17-bed unit. This situation heightens the risk of disease transmission among patients.

"Medical staff assess each child’s condition before providing essential supplies, including therapeutic milk and other nutritional supplies free of charge, with support from the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF," Gadalsid explained. "However, intravenous fluids and medication remain a significant financial burden for many families, struggling with the economic crisis caused by the war." She also highlighted that inadequate nutrition among pregnant women, exacerbated by displacement and economic hardship, poses risks to their babies' growth and health.

The increase in disease-carrying insects like flies and mosquitoes is a growing concern, particularly for malnourished children who are more vulnerable to these illnesses. "With the onset of winter, malnutrition cases increase [and] … the number of flies rises, contributing to the spread of diseases that cause malnutrition," Gadalsid added.

The situation is particularly dire in Sudan's western Darfur region, which has endured decades of conflict prior to the 2023 nationwide war. Darfur has become a focal point of the current conflict and is largely controlled by the RSF. The combination of fighting, hunger, and disease has created a desperate scenario for millions of civilians, especially women and children. UNICEF reported at least 40,000 malnutrition cases in North Darfur between January and May 2025, a period coinciding with an RSF siege on the state capital, el-Fasher, which the paramilitary group later captured in October, facing accusations of civilian killings.

In Blue Nile State, southeastern Sudan, displaced children are also increasingly affected by malnutrition. Sabri Adam, deputy head of the committee overseeing al-Karama 3 displacement camp, stated that malnutrition cases rose from 1,800 in September to 2,116 in November, affecting over a quarter of the camp's children, with 1,760 under the age of five. Al-Karama 3 hosts over 7,600 children under 10 from nearly 4,000 displaced families who fled intensified military operations in western Blue Nile State.

"These families arrived at the camp in extremely difficult humanitarian conditions, amid limited funding and humanitarian assistance from organisations, and a lack of health monitoring despite the growing needs of displaced people," Adam told Al Jazeera. The camp recently received cash assistance from the Red Crescent to support those affected by malnutrition and pregnant women, with eligible households receiving 620,000 Sudanese pounds (approximately $60 at the parallel market rate).

The IPC warns of a growing risk of famine in parts of Greater Darfur and Greater Kordofan, driven by conflict, mass displacement, severe drought, and insufficient humanitarian funding. The El Nino climate phenomenon has resulted in reduced rainfall during Sudan's rainy season, causing drought across approximately half the country. In North Darfur, nearly two-thirds of farmland shows poor vegetation growth, with similar issues in South Darfur and Kordofan states, threatening harvests and exacerbating food insecurity.

Dr. Ahmed Youssef, medical director of the pediatric department at Port Sudan Teaching Hospital, attributes the rise in malnutrition not only to war and displacement but also to limited nutrition awareness and accessibility, particularly in rural areas. Many families in smaller villages subsist on flour and milk, with meat being a rarity. "We are working to provide families of children with malnutrition with basic nutrition education as a first step towards tackling the problem. However, we face difficulties reaching villages to deliver healthcare and raise awareness," he stated.

Food contamination, exacerbated by unreliable electricity and a lack of refrigeration, further complicates safe food storage. "Families often bring their children to hospital only when malnutrition has reached an advanced stage, either because of financial hardship and fears about treatment costs or because of limited education," Dr. Youssef concluded.