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Alsharq Tribune- M.Essam
Sudan continues to face critical gaps in humanitarian nutrition services, exacerbated by ongoing conflict, displacement, and limited access to health and nutrition services, the UN and its partners said on Monday.
According to the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), an estimated 8.4 million people in Sudan will require nutrition assistance in 2026.
This includes approximately 5 million children under the age of five and 3.4 million pregnant and breastfeeding women.
Of the 8.4 million in need, OCHA estimated that 4.2 million children and pregnant and breastfeeding women are projected to be acutely malnourished across Sudan, including over 824,000 cases of children under five suffering from Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM).
Recent SMART surveys show further deterioration in the nutrition situation, with 31 out of the 61 validated SMART surveys reporting global acute malnutrition (GAM) prevalence of 15% and above the WHO emergency threshold, out of which one survey recorded GAM of 34.2 %, which is the famine threshold.
Kordofan and Darfur Battles
At the field level, military pressure is significantly escalating in the Kordofan and Darfur regions. Earlier this month, the UN said road blockades and siege-like conditions have exasperated the delivery of food and health care to several areas, including the city of Kadugli and the city of Dilling in south Kordofan.
For months, the RSF and its ally, the Sudan People's Liberation Movement, have imposed a harsh siege on the two cities, with recurring artillery and drone strikes that led to 800,000 internally displaced people.
Military operations have targeted markets and troop concentrations, including an attack that killed 12 people and left tens of injuries, according to local reports. Also, fierce battles took place in Habila and Kertala.
Meanwhile, the use of drones in combat zones in Sudan constitutes to play a leading role in the fighting between the two warrying parties. This month, drones have been heavily documented in El-Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan, and surrounding areas in Sudan, as part of the ongoing conflict between the Sudanese Army and the RSF.
More than 13 people, including children and women, were reportedly killed by drone attacks in and around El-Obeid, amid widespread targeting of vital facilities in the city.
Local reports said violent clashes happened in axes linking North Kordofan to strategic areas, increasing the risk of limiting access to supplies and the movement of civilians.
The UN said gaps in humanitarian nutrition is projected to further deteriorate in 2026 due to expanding conflict, food security decline, compromised health and water services, and prolonged and recent displacements.
It warned that the actual number of malnourished individuals, particularly among IDPs, returnees, and non-displaced communities, are expected to exceed the current projected People in Need (PIN) figures as the situation worsens.
Turk’s Warnings
UN Human Rights commissioner Volker Turk said on Sunday he is alarmed by the increasing militarization of society by all parties to the conflict in Sudan, also expressing his worries that the atrocity crimes committed during and after the takeover of El Fasher would be repeated in the Kordofan region.
Speaking at a press conference in Port Sudan, where the government had been operating as a temporary capital since the conflict began, the UN envoy said the proliferation of advanced military equipment, in particular drones, across Sudan has enhanced the military capabilities of both the Sudanese army and the RSF, prolonging hostilities and deepening the crisis for civilians.
Turk said the international community must ensure that the perpetrators of the horrific violations in Sudan face justice, regardless of their affiliation.
