Famine confirmed in Sudan’s North Darfur, threatening the lives of over 400,000 displaced people in the Zamzam Camp, reflecting the devastating situation for children around the region.
After more than 15 months of war, a catastrophic combination of conflict, displacement and limited humanitarian access has resulted in famine in a camp sheltering hundreds of thousands of displaced people in Sudan’s North Darfur Region.
The confirmation of famine is an extremely rare event. People, including children have already started dying of hunger and related conditions including malnutrition and infection.
The situation remains critical across the whole country, with more than 700,000 children expected to suffer severe acute malnutrition (SAM) this year, the most life-threatening form of malnutrition.
This is a man-made crisis that could have been prevented. UNICEF continues to call on all parties to guarantee safe, unhindered and sustained humanitarian access so that we can deliver lifesaving support to children and their families.
Children caught in this catastrophe need us more than ever.
Sudan Famine Crisis
Famine confirmed in Sudan’s North Darfur, threatening the lives of over 400,000 displaced people in the Zamzam Camp.
Sudan’s many challenges
Before the conflict escalated in April 2023, Sudan was already experiencing a humanitarian crisis with 15.8 million people – about a third of the total population – requiring humanitarian assistance, and since then the situation has only deteriorated for children and their families.
The crisis has been fuelled by disease outbreaks, economic and political instability and climate emergencies, including floods and droughts which have devastated crops and livestock. Sudan has also become home to over a million refugees from South Sudan and Ethiopia. Sadly, generations of children have grown up knowing nothing but conflict, as families have been enduring multiple civil wars and ongoing fighting since 1955.
How will my donation help children in crisis?
Even in the face of an escalating crisis, UNICEF will continue to deliver for every child, no matter what. In response to the escalating food crisis, UNICEF is expanding treatment services, including providing lifesaving services through 70 mobile teams. But we need your help to deliver for every child.
- $92 could help provide more than 7,000 iron supplements, to help prevent anemia in pregnant women.
- $160 could help provide 304 sachets of lifesaving therapeutic food, to help save the lives of children suffering from malnutrition.
- $300 could provide 60,000 water purification tablets, each able to create up to 5 litres of clean drinking water, to help prevent deadly waterborne diseases.
- 80¢on average, 80 cents to every dollar spent for the past three years went directly to helping children in need, including long-term programs, emergency response and community education.
- 20¢on average, 14 cents to every dollar spent for the past three years went to essential fundraising costs that helped us generate more impact for children, 6 cents went to admin costs, such as keeping your personal data safe.
How do we use each dollar donated?
If you choose to donate monthly, or in the unlikely event that UNICEF receives more funds than needed for this emergency response, your gift will help support UNICEF's work for children in need around the world.
Sudan Famine Crisis
Famine confirmed in Sudan’s North Darfur, threatening the lives of over 400,000 displaced people in the Zamzam Camp.