“Skin and Bones”: UNICEF Sounds Alarm as Sudan’s Children Face Catastrophic Crisis

Sudan’s children are facing a devastating and entirely preventable catastrophe, with the threat of famine, disease and violence engulfing communities already pushed beyond their limits by two years of brutal conflict. This week, UNICEF’s Sudan Representative Sheldon Yett gave a harrowing update following a mission across Port Sudan, Aj Jazeera and Khartoum States, describing the situation as the world’s largest humanitarian crisis and urging the international community not to look away.

“I visited Jebel Aulia, one of the two localities in Khartoum State identified as being at extreme risk of famine,” said Yett during a press briefing at the Palais des Nations in Geneva on 5 August. “Malnutrition is rife, and many of the children are reduced to just skin and bones.”

In Jebel Aulia alone, alongside Khartoum locality, 37 percent of the state’s malnutrition burden is concentrated. These areas are also among the worst affected by violence and difficult-to-navigate access routes, particularly as rains worsen already impassable roads. Families are now living in cramped, unfinished and often damaged buildings, while health and nutrition centres struggle to cope with overwhelming demand.

Cholera is spreading quickly in overcrowded neighbourhoods. Many displaced mothers walk for days seeking safety for their children, and though humanitarian workers remain on the ground, the situation is dire. “The few functioning health centres and nutrition treatment centres in the area are highly congested and crammed with people,” Yett explained.

The war, which erupted in April 2023, has had devastating consequences for Sudan’s population, particularly children. Now, in newly accessible areas such as parts of Aj Jazeera and Khartoum States, the numbers of children admitted for severe acute malnutrition are rising dramatically. Despite incremental improvements in security in some areas, access remains unpredictable, and humanitarian teams are being stretched to the brink.

“Children are dying from hunger, disease and direct violence. They are being cut off from the very services that could save their lives,” Yett warned.

A displaced mother captured the trauma of the conflict through her daughter’s silence. “Since the war started, my daughter has fallen into a state of silence, and I can feel her heart racing with fear.” It is these invisible wounds that often go uncounted yet weigh heavily on the shoulders of the youngest survivors.

UNICEF and its partners continue to operate under extremely challenging conditions, working to reposition supplies, provide access to clean water, establish child-friendly spaces and deliver essential health services. But with recent funding cuts, many organisations have been forced to reduce operations. UNICEF is stepping in where it can, but without increased resources and safe, consistent access, scaling up the response will remain a formidable challenge.

The situation is particularly critical in frontline areas such as Al Fasher, Dilling and Kadugli, where aid workers still cannot reach children in urgent need.

“Every day without access to these places puts children’s lives at higher risk,” said Yett.

He stressed that this crisis is not the result of a lack of knowledge or tools, but of a collective failure to act at the scale and urgency required.

“We are on the verge of irreversible damage to an entire generation of children.”

Despite everything, Yett continues to witness resilience and courage. “Children in Sudan are resilient. They have endured war now for over two years. But they cannot survive without help.”

As the violence rages on and diplomatic solutions remain elusive, UNICEF is calling for an urgent international response. The global community, Yett said, must not look away.

“Not now.”

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