Crisis in Darfur: A Humanitarian Catastrophe Unfolds

Severe malnutrition is striking children fleeing al-Fashir, Sudan, as they arrive at a camp in Tawila, North Darfur. Up to 10,000 people have fled since the paramilitary RSF captured al-Fashir, with many trapped inside the city. Limited humanitarian resources struggle to meet the urgent needs.

Children escaping the Sudanese city of al-Fashir are arriving at a humanitarian camp in North Darfur in such dire states that even medical intervention may fall short, an international organization reported on Thursday.

"Some arrive so dehydrated they cannot speak," noted Mathilde Vu from the Norwegian Refugee Council. Describing the treacherous journey from al-Fashir, she highlighted the extreme measures—surviving on animal feed and rainwater—people are taking amid fears the humanitarian response won't save everyone, especially children rapidly fleeing a conflict where famine is wielded as a weapon.

Following the Rapid Support Forces' (RSF) capture of al-Fashir, the last bastion of the Sudanese army in Western Darfur, severe swelling in refugee numbers has hit Tawila, already under pressure from hosting over 600,000 displaced people. The U.N. estimates 82,000 have fled since late October, with 200,000 potentially trapped in al-Fashir. Despite a ceasefire proposal, the humanitarian crises looms large.