A nutrition survey conducted this month in the town of Um Baru in the Sudanese state of North Darfur – one of the regions most affected by the fighting – found that more than half of children under five are suffering from acute malnutrition.
These are among the highest rates ever recorded in a standardized emergency assessment, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said, warning that without urgent and unimpeded humanitarian access, children face an immediate risk of death from preventable causes.
The survey examined nearly 500 children and found acute malnutrition rates of 53 percent, more than three times the World Health Organization’s emergency threshold. Eighteen percent of the children suffered from severe acute malnutrition, a life-threatening disease that can cause death within weeks if untreated.
“When severe acute malnutrition reaches this level, time becomes the most critical factor,“said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell.”The children of Um Baru are fighting for their lives and need immediate help.“
The displacement of El Fasher fuels the crisis
North Darfur has become the epicenter of Sudan’s hunger crisis following intensified fighting in and around El Fasher, the state capital and last major government stronghold in the region, which fell in October after more than 500 days under siege.
Many families now taking refuge in Um Baru are newly displaced people who have fled El Fasher and its surrounding areas since October.
UNICEF said Many displaced children have not received routine vaccinations, including measles, leaving them very vulnerable to disease.. The survey also recorded crude mortality rates at the emergency level, underscoring the deadly convergence of hunger, disease and lack of basic services.
Although life-saving supplies such as ready-to-use therapeutic foods have been pre-positioned, UNICEF highlighted that nutritional treatment alone is insufficient. Comprehensive health and nutrition services are urgently needed given the magnitude of the emergency, the agency said.
A child is screened for malnutrition at a UNICEF-supported nutrition center in North Darfur, Sudan, in December 2025. The color red means severe acute malnutrition (SAM).
Access remains very restricted
Humanitarian access remains one of the biggest obstacles.
On December 26, after protracted negotiations, a UN team conducted its first security assessment inside El Fasher since the siege began, spending several hours visiting the Saudi hospital and speaking with residents trapped in the city.
UN staff reported serious lack of basic supplies and services.
Humanitarian convoys carrying food and medical aid have been blocked from entering El Fasher for months, forcing hundreds of thousands of civilians to flee, while those who remain face extreme deprivation.
Refugee flows to Chad continue
As conditions worsen, displacement beyond Sudan’s borders accelerates.
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reported that almost 19,400 Sudanese refugees have crossed into eastern Chad since attacks around El Fasher intensified in late October.
Women and children make up 87 percent of new arrivalsmany of them arrive at the border exhausted and traumatized after fleeing violence, sexual abuse and extortion. Since the end of October, more than 2,700 unaccompanied or separated children and more than 1,100 people with disabilities have been registered.
Despite insecurity and movement restrictions along the main routes, an average of about 250 refugees per day have crossed into Chad in recent weeks. UNHCR warned that Cross-border movements are likely to continue as fighting, economic collapse and protection risks intensify..
A recent security incident at the Tiné border crossing – where a Sudanese army drone attacked a position held by Chadian troops – briefly forced the suspension of humanitarian activities, highlighting the volatile conditions under which aid is delivered.