Sudan’s Zamzam Camp Faces Severe Malnutrition Crisis
In North Darfur’s Zamzam camp, home to around 300,000 people displaced by the ongoing war in Sudan, a dire humanitarian crisis is unfolding, exacerbated by insufficient aid. Nearly a year into the violence, the displaced individuals face severe malnutrition, with children being the most affected due to inadequate care and food.
Manazir Bakhit Ahmed, a resident of the camp, lamented the lack of assistance since their arrival, noting that even the food cards they used to receive have ceased, leaving them without any means to acquire sustenance. The situation is dire for families like Masajed Ahmed Basher’s, who struggle to care for their sick children. The conflict has forced the closure of most hospitals, leaving the nearest medical facility two and a half hours away, making it challenging for her to seek treatment for her son.
Jean-Guy Vataux, the head of the MÉDECINS SANS FRONTIÈRES (MSF or Doctors Without Borders) mission in Sudan, described the conditions in Zamzam as “truly catastrophic.” He highlighted an alarming mortality rate at the camp, almost ten times higher than expected and two and a half times higher than the emergency rate. The nutritional situation is equally grim, with one in four children facing acute malnutrition and 7% in a state of severe acute malnutrition. Vataux warned that untreated malnourished children could perish within weeks.
MSF urgently called for a widespread international mobilization and a rapid humanitarian response to avert further loss of life. Disturbingly, MSF reported that approximately one child succumbs to malnutrition every two hours in Zamzam camp.
Sudan descended into chaos last April, marked by street battles in the capital, Khartoum, between rival forces aligned with the generals. The conflict spread to various regions, with Western Darfur becoming a hotspot for ethnic violence. Paramilitary troops and allied militias targeted African ethnic groups, leading to widespread bloodshed and atrocities.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, in February, implored the international community to take decisive action to halt the Sudanese war. He called upon the warring factions, army general Abdel Fattah Burhan and paramilitary commander General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, to engage in talks to end the conflict, which has claimed over 12,000 lives and displaced more than 7 million people.
Since the onset of the war, MSF reported that 1.6 million people have fled Sudan in search of safety, with approximately 610,000 seeking refuge in Chad. Humanitarian leaders Martin Griffiths and Filippo Grandi appealed for $4.1 billion in international support to aid the beleaguered civilians in Sudan. The situation underscores the urgent need for coordinated efforts to address the humanitarian crisis and end the protracted conflict.
