Health Crisis in Sudan: Five-month conflict kills 1200 children in White Nile State
September 19, 2023 (KHARTOUM) – The UN refugee agency announced on Tuesday that at least 1200 displaced children have died in the past five months due to the ongoing conflict, which has hindered the delivery of essential health services.
Alessandra Vellucci, Director of the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, presided over the hybrid briefing, attended by representatives and spokespersons from various United Nations agencies, including the World Health Organization, the United Nations Development Programme, the United Nations Refugee Agency, the United Nations Children’s Fund, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, and the Human Rights Council.
Allen Maina, Chief of Public Health at the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), reported that more than 1,200 refugee children under five had died in refugee camps in the White Nile State between May and September. This tragic toll was the result of a measles outbreak compounded by malnutrition. Additionally, there were thousands of suspected cholera cases in other parts of the country.
Despite the heroic efforts of local clinics and humanitarian actors, repeated attacks on healthcare facilities since the conflict’s onset have severely hampered the delivery of health services. The number of children arriving at hospitals with measles and malnutrition has been steadily rising, with children under five bearing the brunt, constituting 70% of all measles cases and 76% of all deaths.
Alarmingly, half of the affected children had not received vaccinations against measles. According to Maina, across the border in Chad, nearly 13,000 children under five were acutely malnourished.
11 Million in Need of Health Support Ilham Noor, Sudan Health Operations Team Lead at the World Health Organization (WHO), noted that after five months of conflict, a staggering 11 million people in Sudan need health assistance, exacerbating the health crisis in Khartoum, Darfur, and Kordofan regions.
Sudan’s already fragile healthcare system, strained by conflict, disease outbreaks, and food shortages, is now on the brink of collapse due to the immense pressure of the ongoing conflict. Mass displacement, injuries, hunger, floods, disease outbreaks, attacks on healthcare facilities, a shortage of medical supplies and equipment, healthcare workers, and operational funding have pushed the health system to the brink.
Approximately 70 to 80% of hospitals in conflict-affected states are non-functional. The dire situation includes 3.4 million acutely malnourished children under five, with nearly 700,000 severely malnourished and 100,000 experiencing medical complications.
Noor disclosed that since the start of the war, WHO has verified 56 attacks on healthcare, resulting in 11 deaths and 38 injuries. WHO actively responds to Sudan’s health needs and reinforces its emergency health response. However, insecurity and operational challenges continue to impede the timely delivery of supplies and services.
The revised 2023 Sudan Humanitarian Response Plan launched in May has only received 30% of its required funding, with just 29% of WHO’s financial needs covered by donor funding for its emergency appeal, initiated in June.
Newborns in Peril James Elder, representing the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), who had recently returned from Sudan, expressed concerns that many thousands of newborns may not survive between now and the end of the year. These vulnerable infants and their mothers desperately require adequate care, which is becoming increasingly scarce.
Over 50,000 children need care for malnutrition, according to Elder. UNICEF fears that Sudan’s youngest citizens are facing heightened mortality.
Women and girls continue to face ongoing terror during their escapes, and children are being recruited into armed groups. Sudan remains one of the most perilous places for humanitarian workers. Frontline workers courageously provide vital assistance despite not receiving their salaries for months.
UNICEF’s Sudan appeal, amounting to USD 837 million, is funded at less than 25%, highlighting the urgent need for increased support.