The attack on one of the latest operational hospitals in the area further deepened the ongoing humanitarian crisis caused by the civil war between the rival military, the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Paramilitary Fast Support forces (RSF), which began in April 2023.
Among the stolen supplies were 2,200 therapeutic food cards ready to use, a crucial treatment for children suffering from severe acute malnutrition, a potentially deadly condition characterized by severe weight loss and muscle weight loss.
Iron and folic acid supplements were also stolen for pregnant and infant women, as well as midwife kits and primary medical care supplies for mothers, newborns and children.
Attack on your survival
“Stole supplies to save lives destined for malnourished children is outrageous and a direct attack on their survival“Said Catherine Russell, Executive Director of UNICEF.
“These inconceivable acts against vulnerable children must end. All parties must adhere to international humanitarian law, protect civilians and guarantee safe humanitarian access and without obstacles to those in need. “
UNICEF had successfully delivered these supplies on December 20 of last year, marking the first humanitarian shipment to Awlia Jabal in more than 18 months. However, looting, combined with the growing violence that has forced the aid operations to suspend, is pushing the most vulnerable to the region closer to the disaster.
The children approached the catastrophe
The hospital is located in Jabal Awlia, one of the 17 locations at risk of famine.
The region has been fighting with severe shortage of food, medicine and other essential elements. The fight has blocked commercial and humanitarian supplies for more than three months, leaving thousands of civilians trapped in the midst of intensified struggle.
More than 4,000 people have been forced to flee, further deepening the crisis.
Unprecedented humanitarian crisis
Beyond Jabal Awlia, humanitarian disaster extends through Sudan, where millions face potentially mortal conditions.
More than 24.6 million people, more than half of the population, face an acute food insecurity, and the collapse of health services, the closure of schools and record levels of displacement have created an unprecedented crisis.
Given the growing challenges, UNICEF asked all actors to urgently guarantee humanitarian access without obstacles to deliver help, the protection of hospitals and civil infrastructure, as well as security guarantees so that help workers guarantee that assistance to save lives can reach those in need.
