Darfur displacement camps face humanitarian collapse as hunger deaths rise
January 16 2026 (EL FASHER) – The General Coordination for Displaced Persons and Refugees in Darfur said on Friday deaths were increasing due to hunger, malnutrition and the spread of diseases linked to the lack of food and clean water within displacement camps across the region.
Adam Rojal, the spokesperson for the General Coordination, said in a statement on Friday that food shortages have reached lethal levels, particularly among children, women and the elderly. He attributed this to a dangerous decline in humanitarian aid that is failing to meet even minimum basic needs.
Rojal said the camps were witnessing deaths caused by starvation and malnutrition alongside a wide spread of illnesses related to the lack of food and potable water.
Displacement camps in Darfur are suffering from a sharp deterioration in health conditions due to malnutrition outbreaks resulting from lack of clean water and poor sanitation services.
He noted that the population depends entirely on humanitarian aid, which has become increasingly scarce. This has left humanitarian organisations and host communities alone to face a worsening catastrophe without an international response that matches the scale of the tragedy.
Rojal said there were urgent humanitarian priorities that cannot be delayed, including food, clean drinking water, shelter, healthcare, therapeutic nutrition and sanitation. He also highlighted the need for child protection and psychological support for survivors of violence, hunger and forced displacement.
“Displacement and refugee camps are facing a total humanitarian collapse where hundreds of thousands live in inhumane conditions that deteriorate daily,” Rojal said. He added that the current decline in aid volume represents a complete failure to address basic requirements.
He asserted that what is happening in Darfur is a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law and constitutes grave crimes. He stressed the need to hold those responsible for genocide and widespread violations accountable, ensure justice for victims and end the impunity that encourages the continuation of these crimes.
Rojal criticised the international community’s silence and its failure to intervene effectively, suggesting this makes it a moral partner in the ongoing tragedy. He held all parties to the conflict fully responsible for what he described as a humanitarian catastrophe.
He called on the United Nations, the Quad and all influential countries to take urgent action and move beyond statements of concern to concrete measures.
These measures should include applying real pressure on the conflicting parties, ensuring the opening of safe and permanent humanitarian corridors and providing sufficient emergency funding for the response in Darfur.