Aid group warns of children’s lives in jeopardy due to blocked medical supplies in famine-hit Darfur

Malnourished children in a famine-stricken camp for war-displaced individuals in Sudan’s Darfur region are facing a serious risk of death, according to Doctors Without Borders. The aid group stated that it has been compelled to ration malnutrition treatment due to a blockade enforced by the Rapid Support Forces, a notorious paramilitary group.

The Rapid Support Forces, besieging al-Fasher city as part of their conflict with the Sudanese military, have obstructed three trucks carrying vital medical supplies, including therapeutic food, destined for the city and the nearby Zamzam camp where famine was confirmed recently. Since April last year, Sudan has been in turmoil, with tensions between the military and RSF escalating into open clashes in the capital, Khartoum, and spreading across the country, including Darfur.

The conflict has resulted in numerous casualties and pushed many individuals into starvation, leading to the world’s largest displacement crisis with over 10 million people compelled to flee their homes since April 2023, as reported by the U.N. migration agency. International experts from the Famine Review Committee confirmed last week that famine has emerged at the Zamzam camp, which houses up to 600,000 people.

In Zamzam camp, where many new displaced individuals have sought refuge, a large number of children are in critical condition. Doctors Without Borders noted that the malnutrition ward at its field hospital in the camp is overcrowded, with a bed occupancy rate of 126%. The aid group stated that RSF fighters have halted the trucks in the town of Kabkabiya for more than a month, leading to limitations in the number of children receiving therapeutic food due to limited medicine stocks.

The deliberate obstruction or delay of humanitarian aid poses a significant threat to the lives of thousands of children who are deprived of life-saving treatment. The RSF has maintained a siege on el-Fasher in an ongoing bid to seize control from the military and allied rebel groups. El-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, is the military’s last stronghold in the conflict-ridden Darfur region.