A generation at risk as Sudan's humanitarian crisis deepens

GENEVA (AN) — Sudan's protracted conflict has passed its 842nd day, pushing the nation to the brink of what UNICEF's Sudan representative, Sheldon Yett, described as the "world's largest humanitarian disaster."

Speaking at the Palais des Nations, Yett warned on Tuesday that an entire generation of children is facing "irreversible damage," painting a grim picture of destruction and displacement observed during his recent mission across Port Sudan, Aj Jazeera, and Khartoum.

Yett’s eyewitness account detailed the widespread devastation, from destroyed homes and buildings to a UNICEF warehouse in Khartoum looted and reduced to rubble. The crisis has uprooted entire communities, with children suffering from severe malnutrition and 80% of them not in school.

In areas like Jebel Aulia, he reported severe malnutrition, noting that many children have been "reduced to just skin and bones," with a rapid cholera outbreak compounding the health emergency. He also noted that children in Jebel Aulia have limited, but growing, access to safe water, food, healthcare, and learning due to UNICEF's improved access.

'Gender emergency' disproportionately hits women and girls

The crisis has been particularly devastating for women and girls, with a new report, "Gender Snapshot: Women, Food Insecurity, and Famine Risk in Sudan," highlighting a "gender emergency." Women-headed households are three times more likely to face severe food insecurity than those led by men, the report says.

Salvator Nkurunziza, U.N. Women’s representative for Sudan, stressed that "women and girls are the hungriest face of this crisis." Speaking from Port Sudan, he said the situation is on the verge of famine, with over 20 million people on the edge. This is because conflict, displacement, and economic collapse have pushed over 30 million people into acute food insecurity.

Of the 30.4 million people in need of aid, 15.3 million are women and girls. The report shows that 75% of female-headed households cannot meet their basic food needs, with only a small fraction considered food secure.

Nearly half of all female-headed households reported poor food consumption and more than 70% of women nationally do not meet minimum dietary diversity, which puts maternal and child health at grave risk.

As more women are left to lead their households due to conflict-related deaths or disappearances, they face the steepest barriers to securing food, income, and aid.

A crisis of access and critical funding shortfalls

Aid delivery faces immense challenges. Yett highlighted the logistical nightmare of a vast country, with the rainy season rendering many roads impassable, and noted the constant need to "negotiate access" in besieged areas, a task made even more perilous by attacks on humanitarian convoys.

The World Food Program reported a joint convoy was recently attacked, killing five people. WFP's regional director for Eastern and Southern Africa, Eric Perdison, warned that families in El Fasher face starvation, with food prices soaring by up to 460% compared to the rest of Sudan. While food trucks are ready, they await safe passage.

The epicenter of the hunger and humanitarian crisis is Darfur, particularly in areas cut off from aid, like Al Fasher, where food prices have soared by up to 460% compared to the rest of the country. This comes a year after famine was confirmed in the Zamzam refugee camp, which has still not received supplies.

Despite these hurdles, women-led organizations are running food kitchens and delivering meals, often with inadequate funding. Nkurunziza pointed out that these groups "are reaching last-mile communities and saving lives, yet remain underfunded and excluded from key decision-making."

One women-led organization operating across eight countries was recently forced to shut down more than half of its food kitchens due to funding constraints.

The humanitarian response remains critically underfunded, with Yett saying only a quarter of the required funds have been secured. This financial shortfall forces painful trade-offs, leaving many families without essential aid.

U.N. Women has issued an urgent call for humanitarian actors and donors to prioritize female-headed households and directly fund women-led initiatives. UNICEF also continues to create safe spaces for children to learn, play, and heal but cannot do it alone. Yett's final plea was stark: "The world must not look away, not now."