Overview
- The U.N.-backed IPC says acute malnutrition thresholds have been surpassed in the North Darfur towns of Um Baru and Kernoi, extending earlier confirmations of famine in el-Fasher and Kadugli.
- In Um Baru, wasting among children under five was nearly double the famine threshold, while nearly one-third of children in Kernoi were acutely malnourished, according to the alert.
- The alert does not constitute a formal famine declaration but flags a sharp deterioration, with estimated acute malnutrition cases rising to about 4.2 million from 3.7 million in 2025.
- Treatment coverage is critically low—only 25% of severely malnourished children in Kernoi were enrolled—while conflict has curtailed health access and disrupted food supplies across North Darfur and Greater Kordofan.
- Displacement and violence are compounding needs, with tens of thousands fleeing el-Fashir into the two towns and fresh clashes reported, as a reported attack on a hospital in Kouik killed 22, including medical staff.