*
*Half a million children face the risk of famine*
Over 736,916 people are residing in 15 IDP camps in the region, most of them women and children.
The number of deaths due to malnutrition and hunger reached 187 people in August, most of them children.
The number of pregnant women in the camps in the region has reached approximately 368,446 women, amid deteriorating health services.
In mid-August, the Civil Authority of New Sudan (CANS) declared famine in the SPLM-NORTH Controlled Areas in the Nuba Mountains and New Funj Regions. The Civil Authority appealed to all national, regional, and international organizations, as well as all institutions working in the field of humanitarian work, for an urgent response to this humanitarian disaster.
For more details on this issue, the SPLM-NORTH Official website met with Mr Juma Idris Koko, Director of the Sudan Relief and Rehabilitation Agency in the Nuba Mountains region, in an inclusive interview, where he revealed facts and statistics reflecting the scale of suffering and catastrophic conditions experienced by the IDPs in the Nuba Mountains.
*Interview by Sajdah Fadul*
Kauda, Nuba Mountains
*Q1: Describe the food security situation in the IDP camps and the number of displacement camps in the Nuba Mountains region?*
*A1: We have more than 15 displacement camps in the region. In these camps, many children and elderly people are suffering from malnutrition due to hunger and lack of food and medicine. We are in urgent need of assistance to save the lives of the people of the Nuba Mountains.*
*Q2: How many women and children are residing in the displacement camps?*
*A2: The number of children under the age of Five in the camps exceeds 257,921 children. The number of children over five years old is 221,075. As for the number of women, it is 147,383 women and 73,692 men. The total number of IDPs is 122,819 families.
The total population displaced in all the camps is over 736,916 individuals.
*Q3: How is food provided for this number of IDPs?*
*A3: Frankly, the situation is now out of our control and is very difficult. A small number of local organizations have provided some aid and supplies, but it is not sufficient. The number of IDPs is very large compared to the limited resources, and the existing organizations can not meet all the needs of the displaced.
*Q4: How many people are suffering from malnutrition?*
*A4: There are a large number of malnutrition cases among children and the elderly in different age groups, and we are currently compiling statistics, which we will provide later.
*Q5: How many pregnant women are there?*
*A5: The number of pregnant women exceeds 36,846*.
*Q6: Do you have any services or care offered for pregnant women in these circumstances?*
*A6: As I mentioned earlier, there are only a few organizations that are providing services by supplying some necessities, so it is difficult to cover all areas of the region.
*Q7: Have there been any recorded deceased due to malnutrition?*
*A7:* During August, the statistics reported to us indicate that more than 187 people of different age groups have died due to malnutrition and hunger, most of them are children and the elderly, in various Counties of the region, including the Kumbor camp in Heiban County, the Agiery camp in Um Dorain County, New Tagali, Lagawe, Alrief Al.Shargi, Kau Nyaro, Dalami, and Tobo Counties.
*Q8: What is your final message, and to whom is it addressed?*
*A8:* We, the Sudan Relief and Rehabilitation Agency (SRRA), urge international and humanitarian organizations and UN agencies to respond urgently to address the current humanitarian crisis and to prioritize the people of the Nuba Mountains region. We invite them to visit the Liberated Areas to witness the dire humanitarian situation on the ground.