Consistently worsening conditions in regions of conflict, siege and oppression, Palestine and Sudan, have opened flood gates of malnutrition, disease and death targeting entire generations of children. Over 450 million children – nearly one in five – live in or have fled a conflict zone. With areas universally considered safe zones such as hospitals, schools, places of worship and refugee camps under assault with impunity, children have not only been unequivocally robbed or denied of their rights; they have been consistently under violent attack.
Children In Gaza Forced to Eat Grass
In March 2024, UN Food Agency warned of the imminence of a famine in Gaza with reports of children eating grass to survive. Three quarters of the population has been displaced in Gaza and 70 percent of those killed being children and women,
“Children in Gaza are dying of malnutrition and disease with desperate families reportedly eating grass to survive. This is suffering on a scale you couldn’t imagine. Our local partners in Gaza are responding as best they can, under intense pressure, but essential supplies are running perilously low,” said William Bell, Christian Aid’s Head of Middle East Policy and Advocacy. Bell had made these comments in March 2024.
According to the UNICEF Annual Report 2023, “In Gaza, about 13,750 children have died since October 2023, exceeding the combined total from all conflicts in 2019‒2022. Deprived of clean water, food and medical care, Gaza’s children are dying due to injuries, dehydration, malnutrition and diseases. In 2023, UNICEF delivered cash assistance to the most vulnerable families with children within six days of the escalation, reaching every fourth person in Gaza (545,073 people, 81,655 families, 262,016 children) in the first round, including through a nutrition-sensitive cash payment to 28,840 pregnant and breastfeeding women, and a disability top-up payment to 5,079 children.”
Further aggravating the plight of children due to attacks in Rafah and throughout the Gaza Strip, humanitarian assistance – a lifeline for the whole population across the Strip is threatened.
“Last week, a long-feared military operation began in Rafah, displacing over 448,000 people to unsafe areas like Al-Mawasi and Deir al Balah. Meanwhile, heavy bombardment and ground operations have spread to northern Gaza, leaving a trail of destruction in areas such as Jabaliya refugee camp and Beit Lahia. At least 64,000 people there have been forced to flee their devastated homes,” commented UNICEF Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa, Adele Khodr, on intensifying hostilities in Rafah and North Gaza.
She further added: ““After over seven months of conflict, with tens of thousands of lives lost and countless appeals for ceasefire, the violence persists. It is crucial that weapons go silent and children’s rights are respected. The children of Gaza, who have endured unimaginable horrors, deserve an immediate ceasefire and a chance for a peaceful future.”
An OCHA Humanitarian Update also stated that between October 7th 2023 and June 3rd, 2024, 508 Palestinians, including 124 children, were killed in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem; these include 491 killed by Israeli forces, ten by Israeli settlers, and seven where it remains unknown whether the perpetrators were Israeli soldiers or settlers. In addition, over 5,150 Palestinians, including about 800 children, were injured, more than a third of whom were injured by live ammunition.
Sudanese Children Wasting Away Due to Malnutrition
The ongoing hostilities in Sudan have worsened child malnutrition due to lack of access to nutritious food, safe drinking water and sanitation, as well as increased risk of disease, according to a survey by the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), UN World Food Programme (WFP) and World Health Organization (WHO)
At emergency levels in Sudan, child malnutrition in Central Darfur is estimated to be at 15.6 percent among children under five years, in ZamZam camp it is nearly 30 percent. “The situation has deteriorated over recent months, with no sign of abating due to continued conflict and severely hindered humanitarian access. Acute malnutrition is life-threatening, with malnourished children up to 11 times more likely to die than a well-nourished child,” states a UNICEF press release.
Beginning the month of June, situation for mothers and children will deepen with the start of the rainy season, bound to cut off communities and amplifying disease rates. This is also the time, when the country enters one of its leanest seasons, a time between harvests when food stocks traditionally run low. Reports have already showed that due to the conflict, insecurity and displacement; agricultural production in 2023 was below normal.
“Mothers and children across Sudan are wasting away from malnutrition. The ongoing war has stripped them of everything they need to survive – food, medical support and shelter. We need immediate and safe access to deliver the humanitarian assistance that they so desperately need. Without it, this crisis risks becoming the world’s largest hunger emergency”, said WFP Executive Director Cindy McCain.
On May 27th, the Sudan Tribune had reported the recapturing of the Golo Reservoir – a primary water source for the North Darfur Capital – by the Joint Forces, under the command of the Sudan Liberation Movement led by Minni Arko Minawi. The news story further revealed: “The RSF, led by field commander Ali Rizkallah ‘Al-Savana’, (later) took control of the reservoir, shutting down water purification stations and cutting off water supplies to El-Fasher. In a widely circulated video, Rizkallah declared, “From now on, they will have to get water from the Red Sea.”
On May 31st, UNICEF informed that fighting around the Golo water reservoir would jeopardize the main water source for over 130,000 children. “The deteriorating security situation and the intense conflict in and around El Fasher, Darfur, have led to a significantly growing displacement of the civilian population from the area. The scarcity of safe drinking water and healthcare poses a particularly grave threat to the displaced, sick, injured, and children. The conflict over the Golo water reservoir – which serves as one of the primary water sources for an estimated 270,000 people in the city and nearby communities – is putting it at high risk of being damaged or destroyed. This will lead to families and children being cut off from safe and adequate water and increase the risk of waterborne diseases in a region already torn by war. Children suffering from acute malnutrition and weakened immune systems will be particularly in danger,” informedAdele Khodr, UNICEF Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa about the escalation of violence in El Fasher, North Darfur.
In Sudan, there are 729, 000 children with severe acute malnutrition. Of these 109,000 have medical complications and 90 percent of them are likely to die (98,000). The remaining 620,000 children (729,000- 109,000) have severe acute malnutrition with no medical complication and 20 percent (124,000) of them are likely to die.
Gaza’s 346,000 children under the age of five are at the greatest risk of malnutrition. In the north, it is estimated that one in three children under the age of two are now suffering from wasting, the most severe form of malnutrition, compared to one in six children in January, according to The Global Nutrition Cluster– a group of humanitarian organisations focused on nutrition.
Is there more to say, as the world watches the slow wasting away of humanity?
Information compiled by Sabin Muzaffar
Image by Burak Aslan from Pixabay
