The United Nations on Monday voiced deep concerns regarding the intensifying humanitarian crisis in Sudan, highlighting the severe consequences of ongoing civil conflict including rampant starvation, displacement, and violence against civilians.

The situation has reached a critical point, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). Recent armed clashes near displacement camps between government forces and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in El Fashur, North Darfur, have led to multiple civilian casualties. As violence escalates, approximately 330,000 individuals have sought refuge in North Darfur, fleeing the dire conditions in their hometowns.

Compounding the violence, residents face starvation and a deadly cholera outbreak. El Fasher is under siege, with road blockades severely hindering food deliveries. The city is isolated from humanitarian aid, and the blockade has spiked the prices of basic goods by 460 percent, making it nearly impossible for families to afford essential food items.

The cholera outbreak has spread across Darfur, with nearly 1,200 reported cases, about a quarter of which are children. "Shortages of medical supplies, clean water, and sanitation services are severely hampering the humanitarian response," stated Deputy UN spokesperson Farhan Haq.

Highlighting the dire conditions for children, UNICEF representative Sheldon Yett reported, "Malnutrition is rife, and many of the children are reduced to just skin and bones...Children are dying from hunger, disease, and direct violence. They are being cut off from the very services that could save their lives." This year, there has been a 46 percent increase in severe acute malnutrition among Sudanese children.

The broader impact of the conflict includes over 12 million people displaced, 24.6 million facing acute hunger, a collapse of health services, millions of traumatized children deprived of education, and widespread sexual violence.

The UN is urgently calling for international support, noting that aid organizations require $120 million to address the critical shortages in food, water, shelter, and to combat the cholera outbreak. The World Food Programme is prepared to send aid trucks to El Fasher but needs assurances of safe passage from combatants.

The dire situation in Sudan demands immediate and substantial international attention to prevent further deterioration of conditions and loss of life.