UN reports civilian deaths and malnutrition crisis in Sudan as fighting escalates
January 13, 2026 (NEW YORK) – The United Nations expressed alarm on Tuesday over escalating violence in Sudan that has killed dozens of civilians and pushed malnutrition levels in North Darfur to more than triple the emergency threshold.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that at least 19 civilians were killed on Monday during a ground assault in the Jarjira area of North Darfur. In a separate incident, a drone attack in Sinja, the capital of Sennar State, killed 10 people and injured nine others, according to data from the Sudanese Doctors Network.
“The violence continues to drive people from their homes, and it must stop,” UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said during a briefing in New York.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) estimated that more than 8,000 people were displaced from villages in North Darfur’s Kernoi locality on Friday alone. While many fled to other parts of the state, some have crossed the border into neighbouring Chad.
The surge in displacement coincides with a “deepening nutrition emergency” in North Darfur. A recent survey conducted by UNICEF and its partners in the localities of Tina, Um Baru, and Kernoi found acute malnutrition levels far exceeding the World Health Organization’s emergency threshold of 15%.
In Um Baru, the survey recorded an acute malnutrition rate of 53%, one of the highest levels reported since the conflict began.
The UN reiterated its call for all warring parties to protect civilian infrastructure and allow unhindered humanitarian access. It also urged international donors to scale up funding for life-saving assistance.
Amid the worsening crisis, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk is scheduled to visit Sudan from Jan. 14 to Jan. 18. Türk will meet with authorities in Port Sudan and civil society representatives before traveling to Northern State to visit the Al-Afad displacement camp.
The High Commissioner is expected to hold press conferences in both Port Sudan and Nairobi at the conclusion of his visit on Sunday.