In Sudan, the U.N. Children’s Fund has warned more than half of all children in parts of North Darfur are acutely malnourished, with two more areas in the region experiencing famine levels of hunger. This is UNICEF spokesperson Ricardo Pires.

Ricardo Pires: “Famine thresholds for malnutrition have been surpassed in Um Baru and Kernoi, locations that weren’t previously considered at risk. Extreme hunger and malnutrition come for children first, the youngest, the smallest, the most vulnerable. And in Sudan, it’s spreading. These are children between 6 months and 5 years old, and they’re running out of time.”

According to recent U.N. data, over 30 million people out of Sudan’s population of nearly 47 million are in need of urgent humanitarian assistance.

This comes as Reuters reports the United Arab Emirates allegedly funded a camp in Ethiopia to train fighters of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. The UAE has repeatedly denied involvement in Sudan’s war.