Arabic version: مخيمات دارفور تواجه أزمة غذاء وصحة متفاقمة

According to Allafrica, displacement camps across Sudan’s Darfur region are facing catastrophic humanitarian conditions, with severe food shortages, disease outbreaks, unsafe water and reduced aid operations. The General Coordination of Camps for the Displaced and Refugees in Darfur said conditions have exceeded the limits of human endurance for many families.

Yagoub Furi, the coordination’s general coordinator, said North Darfur camps other than Tawila, including Fata Borno, Kutum and Kassab, have received no food aid. Stéphane Dujarric, spokesperson for the UN secretary-general, said a recent assessment identified food as the top priority for about 236,000 displaced people across five locations in West Jebel Marra locality.

Furi said the limited assistance reaching camps in West, South, Central and East Darfur covers no more than 10% of actual needs and can support a family for only about 10 days each month. In Hamidiya camp in Zalingei, secretary Rashid Mohamed Fadl said food is distributed every two months but does not reach everyone. He said vouchers worth SDG 30,000 per person are inadequate as prices rise.

Residents also face water and healthcare shortages. Furi said many people rely on contaminated seasonal streams and may walk up to two kilometres to collect water after pumps stopped working. Adam Regal of the Darfur Coordination for the Displaced and Refugees cited outbreaks including malaria, measles, acute diarrhoea and cholera, alongside shortages of medicines and medical supplies. In Hamidiya, Fadl said only one of five health centres remains operational, serving around 67,000 displaced people.

Furi said funding shortages have led many humanitarian organisations to reduce operations or prepare to leave. He and Regal called for urgent food, shelter, medicine and health-system support, while stressing that assistance must reach people in need without obstruction or politicisation.