UNICEF condemns looting of lifesaving supplies for children in Sudan

This article is published in association with United Nations.

The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) on Friday strongly condemned the looting of vital humanitarian supplies from Al Bashair Hospital in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, warning that the theft puts thousands of malnourished children and mothers at risk.

The attack on one of the last operational hospitals in the area further deepened the ongoing humanitarian crisis sparked by the civil war between rival militaries, the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which started in April 2023.

Among the stolen supplies were 2,200 cartons of ready-to-use therapeutic food – a crucial treatment for children suffering from severe acute malnutrition, a life-threatening condition characterized by severe weight loss and muscle wasting.

Also stolen were iron and folic acid supplements for pregnant and lactating women, as well as midwife kits and primary healthcare supplies meant for mothers, newborns and children.

Attack on their survival

“Stealing life-saving supplies meant for malnourished children is outrageous and a direct attack on their survival,” said Catherine Russell, Executive Director of UNICEF.

“These unconscionable acts against vulnerable children must end. All parties must adhere to international humanitarian law, protect civilians, and ensure safe and unhindered humanitarian access to those in need.”

UNICEF had successfully delivered these supplies on 20 December last year, marking the first humanitarian shipment to Jabal Awlia in over 18 months. However, the looting, combined with escalating violence that has forced aid operations to suspend, is pushing the region’s most vulnerable closer to disaster.

Children pushed closer to catastrophe

The hospital is situated in Jabal Awlia, one of 17 localities at risk of famine.

The region has been struggling with severe shortages of food, medicine and other essentials. Fighting has blocked commercial and humanitarian supplies for more than three months, leaving thousands of civilians trapped amid intensified fighting.

More than 4,000 people have been forced to flee, further deepening the crisis.

Unprecedented humanitarian crisis

Beyond Jabal Awlia, the humanitarian disaster extends across Sudan, where millions are facing life-threatening conditions.

More than 24.6 million people – over half the population – are facing acute food insecurity, and the collapse of health services, the closure of schools and record levels of displacement have created an unprecedented crisis.

In the face of rising challenges, UNICEF called on all actors to urgently ensure unimpeded humanitarian access to deliver aid, the protection of hospitals and civilian infrastructure, as well as security guarantees for aid workers to ensure life-saving assistance can reach those in need.