MSF providing food to 30,000 people in two months in South Darfur

Very few people are spared from the risk of starvation and death that malnutrition poses in South Darfur. An insufficient response from international organisations including UN agencies has left people without enough food to eat, or adequate medical services to prevent avoidable deaths, as the dire effects of the war continue.

It is children and pregnant and lactating women who are often most vulnerable to malnutrition, in October

• In Nyala, 23% of children under 5 screened at the facilities we support were suffering from severe acute malnutrition
• In Kas, 12.4% of children MSF screened at the facilities we support were suffering from severe acute malnutrition, 25.1% had moderate acute malnutrition
• In two MSF supported facilities, 26% of pregnant and lactating women were suffering from severe acute malnutrition

This month MSF is beginning a targeted food distribution, providing two months’ food to 6,000 patients and their families – 30,000 people.

We wish we could do more, but the needs are simply too great. So, MSF is focusing on providing food for people who already have another health condition or those enrolled in our malnutrition programmes and who are therefore most vulnerable to the risks of malnutrition.

Patients already being treated in MSF malnutrition programmes or people in MSF facilities including pregnant and lactating women, and children with malaria, diarrhoea or respiratory illness who also have malnutrition will receive food for them and their families for two months. This means MSF will be providing food for 30,000 people in South Darfur for two months.

MSF has started food distributions in Beleil and Doumaya in Nyala, and Alkifa and Jimeze in Kassour areas in Kas, and we will carry out distributions in 16 other locations in South Darfur where MSF runs medical activities in Jebel Marra. The second round of distributions will begin in January.

MSF calls for international organisations to return to South Darfur and for warring parties to make it easier for humanitarian aid to reach the state.