AT LEAST three babies are born into the war in Sudan every minute, a leading charity warned today.

Official data reveals that there have been at least 5.6 million births in Sudan since the war between the military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) began in April 2023.

In a report, Save the Children warns that the babies are being born into conditions that “no child should ever face,” with many having to survive on just one meal a day.

Mohamed Abdiladif, the charity’s country director for Sudan, said: “These children are born in overcrowded shelters, underequipped or damaged health facilities or while their families are on the move.

“Children have a right to receive care and protection, even in conflict.”

In 2019, a people’s uprising in Sudan ended 30 years of military rule by Omar al-Bashir and brought about a return to civilian rule.

But while a political settlement was being negotiated nationally and new models of self-governance were being developed in local communities, the armed forces seized power again.

The two partners in the counter-revolution, the military and the RSF, soon fell out and fighting broke out between them on April 15 2023, plunging the country into what the United Nations describes as the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.

Since then, the conflict has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced more than 12 million.

The military is allegedly backed by Egypt and Saudi Arabia, while the RSF is said to receive support from the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Many experts have described the conflict as a proxy war between the three outside nations, all US allies.

Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and the United States all deny any involvement.

The military and the RSF have been accused of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity. The RSF has been implicated in atrocities in the Darfur region that UN experts say bear the hallmarks of genocide.

Save the Children says widespread violence and attacks on civilian infrastructure have strained the already fragile healthcare system. 

Up to 80 per cent of health facilities in conflict-affected zones have ceased to function, with those working facing severe shortages of staff, medicines and supplies.

Mr Abdiladif insisted that the parties to the conflict “must ensure the protection of civilians and allow access to reach families in urgent need of assistance.”