Sudan war and climate change see parents struggle to feed their children

What the report says

Al Jazeera reports that Sudan’s escalating child malnutrition crisis is being driven by war, displacement, poverty and worsening climate conditions. The article follows families in Port Sudan, where parents are traveling long distances for treatment as children become too weak to eat or move. One mother from a village outside the city said her five-year-old son was hospitalized after his condition deteriorated, while doctors worked to stabilize him with therapeutic feeding and basic care.

Health workers at Port Sudan Teaching Hospital said admissions continue to rise, with overcrowding in the malnutrition ward and pressure on limited supplies. The report says treatment for some essentials is free with support from WHO and UNICEF, but many families still struggle to pay for medicines, fluids and other costs. The hospital also links poor maternal nutrition, displacement and recurring disease risks to the broader problem. In Darfur and Blue Nile State, displaced children are facing especially severe conditions, with local officials and aid data cited by Al Jazeera showing rising cases in camps and conflict zones.

The article places the crisis within Sudan’s wider civil war, which began in April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces. It also notes that drought linked to El Niño has reduced rainfall and damaged farmland, adding to food insecurity. According to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, Sudan is facing a growing threat of famine in parts of Greater Darfur and Greater Kordofan, underscoring how conflict and climate stress are combining to deepen hunger among children.