The Children of Darfur Caught Between Starvation and Death in the Unending Civil War

In Sudan, a civil war that erupted a year ago has led to devastating consequences for millions. Among them is Qisma Abdirahman Ali Abubaker, a mother who stands silently in line for food rations at Zamzam Camp for displaced people in Northern Darfur, grappling with the loss of three children to disease and malnutrition in just four months.

The war, a fierce conflict between the army and a paramilitary group, has thrown the country into chaos and driven countless families from their homes into camps like Zamzam. This camp, the oldest and largest of its kind in Sudan, is now a scene of fresh desperation and profound grief as the conflict enters its second year.

A recent report by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) reveals a grim reality: at least one child dies every two hours in Zamzam Camp. The January findings, shared exclusively with the BBC, show that three out of every ten children under five are acutely malnourished. The situation is similarly dire for a third of pregnant and breastfeeding mothers. These numbers suggest a catastrophe far beyond the threshold for a nutrition emergency, pointing to a severe and widespread hunger crisis.

Access to the region remains a challenge. Foreign journalists and aid agencies find it nearly impossible to enter Darfur, and MSF is one of the few international humanitarian organizations still operating on the ground. Despite the dire circumstances, aid distribution is hampered by logistical and bureaucratic obstacles, including slow visa processing and blocked routes from neighboring Chad.

The situation at the Babiker Nahar Paediatric hospital near Zamzam highlights the broader collapse of healthcare services in the region. Here, children with severe malnutrition receive emergency treatment, but resources are thin, and the needs are growing daily.

Amid these crises, personal stories of suffering and resilience emerge. Qisma Abdirahman Ali Abubaker recounts the heart-wrenching loss of her children, unable to afford hospital treatment or medicine. Her family, like many in Darfur, were smallholder farmers whose livelihoods have been decimated by the conflict.

The war has not only led to a halt in farming but also stopped the flow of food supplies as most aid agencies have evacuated the area. The RSF, the paramilitary group involved in the conflict, denies allegations of looting hospitals and stores, yet the reality on the ground speaks to a dire shortage of both food and medical supplies.

As the international community watches, urgent calls for increased humanitarian aid and easier access for aid workers are growing louder. MSF is set to open a 50-bed tent hospital in Zamzam and is appealing for other international aid organizations to return and share the overwhelming humanitarian load.

Without significant international intervention and a simplification of administrative processes, the crisis in Darfur risks spiraling further, threatening the lives of many more children. As the world grapples with various global challenges, the plight of the children in Darfur remains a stark reminder of the devastating human cost of conflict and the urgent need for compassionate and coordinated action.