UN Reports Sudanese Refugees Face Rising Hunger, Malnutrition

(MENAFN) The UN's refugee and food agencies issued a critical warning on Tuesday about the worsening food insecurity and malnutrition crisis affecting millions of Sudanese refugees, as severe funding shortages continue to disrupt life-saving aid across the region.

"Sudan is now among the countries in the world with the highest prevalence of global acute malnutrition," stated Babar Baloch, spokesperson for the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), pointing to alarmingly high rates of malnutrition among new arrivals in Chad and Uganda.

In Chad’s Tine region, 11.2% of children between 6 to 59 months are suffering from severe acute malnutrition, while 30.5% face moderate forms of the condition. Additionally, 10.5% of pregnant and breastfeeding women are also affected.

"This is not just a nutrition crisis -- it also bears grave protection concerns for millions of people who have fled Sudan, now the world’s largest and worst protection crisis," Baloch stressed.

He warned that the lack of sufficient nutrition could push vulnerable families into dangerous coping mechanisms, such as early marriages, school dropouts, and exploitation of children.
The UNHCR operations are also under pressure due to budget cuts.

"We have been forced to deprioritize nutrition surveys… due to lack of funding as well as staff," Baloch explained. He added that the 2025 Regional Refugee Response Plan has received only 15% of the necessary funding.

Shaun Hughes, emergency coordinator for the World Food Program (WFP), warned that the ongoing severe funding gaps threaten to disrupt food assistance at current levels.

Since April 2023, the WFP has been providing food and cash assistance to Sudanese refugees in seven neighboring countries. However, without immediate financial support, operations in nations such as Egypt, Ethiopia, and Libya could come to a halt within months.

"Just over $200 million is needed to sustain support for refugees… and $575 million is required for life-saving operations inside Sudan," Hughes stated, emphasizing that only political intervention can bring an end to the crisis.

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