UNICEF: 700,000 Children in Sudan at Risk of Worst Form of Malnutrition

A young Sudanese receives a vaccine shot in Sudan's eastern state of Gedaref on January 22, 2024, during a vaccination campaign against the measles and rubella virus. (Photo by Ebrahim Hamid / AFP)
A young Sudanese receives a vaccine shot in Sudan's eastern state of Gedaref on January 22, 2024, during a vaccination campaign against the measles and rubella virus. (Photo by Ebrahim Hamid / AFP)
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UNICEF: 700,000 Children in Sudan at Risk of Worst Form of Malnutrition

A young Sudanese receives a vaccine shot in Sudan's eastern state of Gedaref on January 22, 2024, during a vaccination campaign against the measles and rubella virus. (Photo by Ebrahim Hamid / AFP)
A young Sudanese receives a vaccine shot in Sudan's eastern state of Gedaref on January 22, 2024, during a vaccination campaign against the measles and rubella virus. (Photo by Ebrahim Hamid / AFP)

UNICEF said on Friday that 700,000 children in Sudan were likely to suffer from the worst form of malnutrition this year, with tens of thousands who could die.
A 10-month war in Sudan between its armed forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has devastated the country's infrastructure, prompted warnings of famine and displaced millions of people inside and outside the country.
"The consequences of the past 300 days means that more than 700,000 children are likely to suffer from the deadliest form of malnutrition this year," James Elder, spokesperson for UNICEF, told a press conference in Geneva.
"UNICEF won't be able to treat more than 300,000 of those without improved access and without additional support. In that case, tens of thousands would likely die,” Reuters quoted Elder as saying.
Elder defined the most dangerous form of malnutrition as severe acute malnutrition, which makes a child 10 more likely to die from diseases such as cholera and malaria. He said 3.5 million children were projected to suffer acute malnutrition.
UNICEF provides "ready-to-use therapeutic food", or RUTF, a life-saving food item that treats severe wasting in children under five years old, to Sudan.
UNICEF is appealing for $840 million to help just over 7.5 million children in Sudan this year, but Elder deplored the lack of funds collected in previous appeals.
"Despite the magnitude of needs, last year the funding UNICEF sought for nearly three-quarters of children in Sudan was not forthcoming," Elder said.
The United Nations on Wednesday urged countries not to forget the civilians caught up in the war in Sudan, appealing for $4.1 billion to meet their humanitarian needs and support those who have fled to neighboring countries.
Half of Sudan's population - around 25 million people - need humanitarian assistance and protection, while more than 1.5 million people have fled to the Central African Republic, Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia and South Sudan, according to the United Nations.



First Class of Syrian Police Cadets Since Assad’s Ouster Graduates

Syrian police members attend their graduation ceremony, after the ouster of Syria's Bashar al-Assad, at the Police Academy under the Syrian Salvation Government, in Damascus, Syria January 14, 2025. (Reuters)
Syrian police members attend their graduation ceremony, after the ouster of Syria's Bashar al-Assad, at the Police Academy under the Syrian Salvation Government, in Damascus, Syria January 14, 2025. (Reuters)
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First Class of Syrian Police Cadets Since Assad’s Ouster Graduates

Syrian police members attend their graduation ceremony, after the ouster of Syria's Bashar al-Assad, at the Police Academy under the Syrian Salvation Government, in Damascus, Syria January 14, 2025. (Reuters)
Syrian police members attend their graduation ceremony, after the ouster of Syria's Bashar al-Assad, at the Police Academy under the Syrian Salvation Government, in Damascus, Syria January 14, 2025. (Reuters)

The first class of Syrian police cadets has graduated since the ouster of President Bashar Assad.

The newly reopened police college in Damascus began accepting applications shortly after opposition groups toppled Assad last month, ending decades of his family rule that was known for widespread surveillance, arbitrary detentions, torture and deaths of real and perceived opponents.

The country’s new leadership under the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group has been working on restructuring Syria’s military and security forces, Oussama Mohammad, a military official at the police college, told The Associated Press on Tuesday.

“The purpose of this course is to preserve security and safety in Syria’s provinces and to track down remnants of the (Assad) regime,” he said.

Over 400 young men applied to join the police, Mohammad said.