Famine Conditions Increasing in Darfur Towns

Food security experts say famine thresholds for acute malnutrition exceeded in Darfur’s Um Baru and Kernoi.

Acute malnutrition levels have reached famine thresholds in Um Baru and Kernoi, western Sudan, due to ongoing civil conflict between the Rapid Support Forces and the Sudanese army, according to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification. In Um Baru, 53% of children under five are acutely malnourished, while nearly a third of children in Kernoi are affected. The report warns of increased mortality risk and indicates that 20 more areas in Darfur and Kordofan are also at risk of famine.