&w=3840&q=100)
Unicef sounds alarm as funding cuts put Sudan's most vulnerable children at starvation risk
Displaced children play, following Rapid Support Forces (RSF) attacks on Zamzam displacement camp, as they shelter in the town of Tawila, North Darfur, Sudan. File image/ Reuters
Funding cuts are putting an entire generation of Sudanese children at risk of permanent injury, as support is reduced and malnutrition cases remain throughout the nation, according to the UN children's agency on Tuesday.
Unhcr and other UN agencies are facing one of the greatest financing crises in decades, exacerbated by the United States and other donor countries' choices to cut foreign aid spending.
'Children have limited access to safe water, food, healthcare. Malnutrition is rife, and many good children are reduced to just skin, bones,' said Sheldon Yett, Unicef's Representative in Sudan, speaking via video link from Port Sudan.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
Sudan's conflict between the army and opposing Rapid Support Forces has uprooted millions of people and divided the nation into competing zones of authority, with the RSF remaining strongly established in western Sudan.
Several districts south of Sudan's capital, Khartoum, are at risk of famine, the World Food Programme warned in July.
Children are being denied life-saving care as a result of financial cuts, despite the astounding extent of demand, according to Unicef.
'With recent funding cuts, many of our partners in Khartoum and elsewhere have been forced to scale back… We are being stretched to the limit across Sudan, with children dying of hunger,' Yett said.
'We on the verge of irreversible damage being done to an entire generation of children in Sudan.'
Only 23% of the 4.16-billion-dollar global humanitarian response plan for Sudan has been funded, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
Access to areas in need also continues to be a challenge, with some roads rendered inaccessible due to the rainy season, hampering aid delivery efforts, Unicef said. Other areas continue to be under siege, such as Al-Fashir.
'It has been one year since famine was confirmed in ZamZam camp and no food has reached this area. Al-Fashir remains under siege. We need that access now,' said Jens Laerke of Ocha.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
First Post
12 hours ago
- First Post
Unicef sounds alarm as funding cuts put Sudan's most vulnerable children at starvation risk
Sudan is facing a dire humanitarian crisis as funding cuts leave millions of children at risk of starvation and permanent harm, Unicef warned. read more Displaced children play, following Rapid Support Forces (RSF) attacks on Zamzam displacement camp, as they shelter in the town of Tawila, North Darfur, Sudan. File image/ Reuters Funding cuts are putting an entire generation of Sudanese children at risk of permanent injury, as support is reduced and malnutrition cases remain throughout the nation, according to the UN children's agency on Tuesday. Unhcr and other UN agencies are facing one of the greatest financing crises in decades, exacerbated by the United States and other donor countries' choices to cut foreign aid spending. 'Children have limited access to safe water, food, healthcare. Malnutrition is rife, and many good children are reduced to just skin, bones,' said Sheldon Yett, Unicef's Representative in Sudan, speaking via video link from Port Sudan. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Sudan's conflict between the army and opposing Rapid Support Forces has uprooted millions of people and divided the nation into competing zones of authority, with the RSF remaining strongly established in western Sudan. Several districts south of Sudan's capital, Khartoum, are at risk of famine, the World Food Programme warned in July. Children are being denied life-saving care as a result of financial cuts, despite the astounding extent of demand, according to Unicef. 'With recent funding cuts, many of our partners in Khartoum and elsewhere have been forced to scale back… We are being stretched to the limit across Sudan, with children dying of hunger,' Yett said. 'We on the verge of irreversible damage being done to an entire generation of children in Sudan.' Only 23% of the 4.16-billion-dollar global humanitarian response plan for Sudan has been funded, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Access to areas in need also continues to be a challenge, with some roads rendered inaccessible due to the rainy season, hampering aid delivery efforts, Unicef said. Other areas continue to be under siege, such as Al-Fashir. 'It has been one year since famine was confirmed in ZamZam camp and no food has reached this area. Al-Fashir remains under siege. We need that access now,' said Jens Laerke of Ocha. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
Indian Express
27-07-2025
- Indian Express
Israel allows humanitarian aid to enter Gaza but will that be enough to tackle mass starvation?
Amid growing international condemnation and warnings of starvation, Israel has announced it will allow humanitarian aid convoys into the Gaza Strip, pausing military activity in certain areas and opening new corridors to facilitate delivery. The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said the 'tactical pause' will be observed daily in parts of Al Mawasi, Deir al-Balah, and Gaza City, with designated 'secure routes' for aid trucks. UNICEF and the World Food Programme have welcomed the move, with UNICEF calling it 'an opportunity to begin to reverse this catastrophe and save lives.' But both organisations stressed the need for more: not just pauses in fighting, but additional humanitarian corridors and safe, sustained access for both aid and commercial deliveries. For months, Gaza's 2 million people have faced a near-total blockade on food, water, medicine, and electricity. Border closures and continuous airstrikes have left shelves empty, hospitals overwhelmed, and families struggling to survive. It has been under a tight Israeli-Egyptian blockade since 2007, after Hamas took control of the territory. The pause in military action follows airdrops of food supplies, including one by Israel delivering seven packages of flour, sugar, and canned food, and a joint Jordan-UAE operation parachuting 25 tonnes of aid. Jordan alone says it has carried out 127 such missions since the war began. Photographs on Sunday showed lorries queuing at Gaza's Rafah border crossing with Egypt, a critical chokepoint where most land-based aid is held up. But for many Palestinians, the help has come too little, too late. 'Of course I feel a bit of hope again, but also worried that starvation would continue once the pause is over,' said Rasha Al-Sheikh Khalil, a mother of four in Gaza City, speaking to the BBC. 'One convoy of aid or a few air drop packages won't be enough. We need a real solution, an end to this nightmare, an end to the war.' Another resident, Neveen Saleh, told the BBC, 'this isn't just about quantity of food, it's about quality. We haven't eaten a single fresh fruit or vegetable in four months. There's no chicken, no meat, no eggs. All we have are canned foods that are often expired and flour.' Former UNRWA spokesperson Chris Gunness said the so-called 'tactical pauses' were not enough. 'Gaza's land borders must immediately be opened 24/7, making these undignified airdrops unnecessary,' he told Al Jazeera. 'Let's not forget that over 100 people have been starved to death by Israel. Netanyahu must face international justice for the crime of starvation.' Oxfam's policy lead for Gaza, Bushra Khalidi, echoed those concerns, saying, 'deadly airdrops and a trickle of trucks won't undo months of engineered starvation… What's needed is the immediate opening of all crossings for full, unhindered, and safe aid delivery across all of Gaza and a permanent ceasefire.' Israel, which controls Gaza's borders and airspace, had completely halted aid entry between March and May. It later established a controversial system requiring people to walk to militarised aid hubs, locations that the UN has described as 'death traps,' saying that over 1,000 Palestinians were killed trying to access food. Despite accusations from rights groups and UN officials that it was using starvation as a weapon of war, Israel denies any wrongdoing. It says the distribution responsibility lies with international agencies and that the new restrictions were designed to prevent aid from being diverted to Hamas. The World Health Organization's director, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, described the situation as 'man-made mass starvation.' On Sunday, the Hamas-run health ministry said six more people had died from malnutrition, bringing the total to 133—most in recent weeks. As part of the new measures, Israel has approved a clean water pipeline from a desalination plant in Egypt to Gaza's Al Mawasi region, intended to serve 600,000 residents independently of Israel's own water systems. A power line to a Gaza desalination plant has also been restored. But even as aid trickles in, violence continues. On Sunday, nine Palestinians were reportedly killed and 54 injured by Israeli gunfire while trying to reach an aid convoy route in central Gaza. Whether these steps will bring lasting relief remains uncertain. For now, aid workers and residents alike brace for the limited window of help.
New Indian Express
25-07-2025
- New Indian Express
Europe-bound migrant boat capsizes off the Libyan coast, leaving at least 15 people dead
CAIRO: A migrant boat capsized early Friday off the coast of Libya, leaving at least 15 Egyptians dead, according to Libyan officials. The boat was bound for Europe and was carrying dozens when it capsized around 2 a.m. near the eastern Libyan town of Tobruk, according to Marwan al-Shaeri, the media spokesperson of general administration of the coast guard in Tobruk. Al-Shaeri confirmed that all those known to have died were Egyptian nationals. The crews were able to rescue two Sudanese crewmembers, but a third is still missing. He told The Associated Press that the sea is not suitable for any sailing activity but couldn't say why the boat capsized. It was unclear how many people were still missing. Local aid group Abreen, which tracks migrant activity, said early Friday afternoon on Facebook that 10 people survived the incident. Libya is a dominant transit point for migrants fleeing war and poverty in Africa and the Middle East. Drowning incidents near the country's coast have been common. In December, at least 61 migrants, including women and children, drowned off the town of Zuwara on Libya's western coast. According to the missing migrants project run by the International Organization for Migration, at least 434 migrants have been reported dead and 611 missing off Libya in the past eight months. More than 14,100 migrants were intercepted and returned to the chaos-stricken country. Libya was plunged into chaos following a NATO-backed uprising that toppled and killed longtime autocrat Moammar Gadhafi in 2011.
