Over half of children in North Darfur’s Um Baru are malnourished, UNICEF says
December 30, 2025 (KHARTOUM) – More than half of the children in North Darfur’s Um Baru locality are suffering from acute malnutrition, according to a UNICEF assessment that describes the situation as among the most severe recorded globally.
The nutrition survey, conducted by the U.N. children’s agency between Dec. 19 and 23, found a global acute malnutrition rate of 53%, more than triple the World Health Organization’s emergency threshold of 15%. Even more alarming, one in six children—roughly 18% of those screened—was found to be suffering from severe acute malnutrition, a life-threatening condition that requires immediate medical intervention to prevent death.
UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell warned that time is running out for the children in the region. She said those in Um Baru are fighting for their lives and that every day without safe and unhindered humanitarian access increases the risk of preventable deaths.
The crisis has been exacerbated by a massive influx of internally displaced families who fled an escalation of fighting in Al Fasher in late October. This surge in population has overwhelmed local resources, with children under five accounting for 26% of the household population in the area.
Health conditions in the locality are equally dire. The survey revealed that one in three children had been ill in the two weeks preceding the assessment, primarily suffering from fever, cough, or diarrhoea. Despite these risks, immunization rates remain dangerously low, with measles vaccination coverage at just 24% and Vitamin A supplementation at only 11%.
Insecurity remains the primary obstacle to relief efforts. Although UNICEF has prepositioned life-saving supplies, including therapeutic food, the ongoing fighting has restricted humanitarian access and delayed the scale-up of essential services. The data collection for the survey itself had to be shortened by one day due to the volatile security environment.
North Darfur has become the epicentre of a broader nutritional emergency in Sudan. By November of this year, nearly 85,000 severely malnourished children had been admitted for treatment across the state.
UNICEF called on all parties to the conflict to allow immediate, safe access for aid workers. The organization said that without a predictable humanitarian pause, it is impossible to deliver the food, clean water, and medical care necessary to stabilize the population.