The devastating effects of war in Sudan have left one mother, Touma, with an impossible choice: sacrifice her dying daughter or risk her own life to save her twin brother. The 25-year-old has been forced to flee her home after fighting between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) reached their community about 200km south-west of Khartoum.
Touma's situation is all too common in the war-torn country, where three million children under the age of five are acutely malnourished. The hospitals that remain operational are overwhelmed, and many families can only afford basic treatment for their children.
In a particularly heartbreaking scene, Touma sits with her dying daughter, Masajed, in Bashaer Hospital's malnutrition ward. She looks stunned as she recounts the loss of their old life: "In the past, our house was full of goodness... but now we have nothing." The mother's eyes are glassy as she stares at her daughter, who lies motionless and severely malnourished in front of her.
The situation is made even more difficult by the fact that the lifesaving medicines needed to treat the children must be paid for by their families. Touma was forced to make an impossible choice: save one twin or risk losing both. She chose Masajed, but not without immense emotional pain and grief.
As Zaher, a 12-year-old boy who survived an attack on his family's home, reveals, "I'm coming home... I can no longer see my home. Where's my home?" The memory of what happened to him is too difficult for him to talk about, but he dreams of prosthetic legs and playing football with his friends again.
The destruction of schools has put the future of children in Sudan in jeopardy. Many have lost contact with their family members, and some families are left without any means of income or food. In a makeshift classroom set up by volunteers, Zaher and his classmates attempt to learn and play despite the trauma they've endured.
As Abdulrahman Abutaleb, Abdalrahman Altayeb, and Liam Weir report from Sudan, it's clear that the humanitarian crisis there is dire. The BBC has been covering the conflict in Sudan, providing a voice for those affected by this devastating war.
Touma's situation is all too common in the war-torn country, where three million children under the age of five are acutely malnourished. The hospitals that remain operational are overwhelmed, and many families can only afford basic treatment for their children.
In a particularly heartbreaking scene, Touma sits with her dying daughter, Masajed, in Bashaer Hospital's malnutrition ward. She looks stunned as she recounts the loss of their old life: "In the past, our house was full of goodness... but now we have nothing." The mother's eyes are glassy as she stares at her daughter, who lies motionless and severely malnourished in front of her.
The situation is made even more difficult by the fact that the lifesaving medicines needed to treat the children must be paid for by their families. Touma was forced to make an impossible choice: save one twin or risk losing both. She chose Masajed, but not without immense emotional pain and grief.
As Zaher, a 12-year-old boy who survived an attack on his family's home, reveals, "I'm coming home... I can no longer see my home. Where's my home?" The memory of what happened to him is too difficult for him to talk about, but he dreams of prosthetic legs and playing football with his friends again.
The destruction of schools has put the future of children in Sudan in jeopardy. Many have lost contact with their family members, and some families are left without any means of income or food. In a makeshift classroom set up by volunteers, Zaher and his classmates attempt to learn and play despite the trauma they've endured.
As Abdulrahman Abutaleb, Abdalrahman Altayeb, and Liam Weir report from Sudan, it's clear that the humanitarian crisis there is dire. The BBC has been covering the conflict in Sudan, providing a voice for those affected by this devastating war.
. I mean, can you even imagine having to choose between saving one of your twins or risking your own life? It's like something out of a nightmare 
. And these poor kids are already struggling with malnutrition and now they're losing their homes and schools... it's just devastating.
. And the fact that he can't even talk about what happened to him is just heartbreaking.
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. I mean, think about it, every time we send help, it just makes things worse. The politicians just use it as an excuse to keep the conflict going and more innocent lives are lost. We need to stop fueling their desperation and let them figure out their own problems for once. And what's with all this focus on children? Can't they see that adults are the ones who should be taking responsibility here? 
The kids are just pawns in a much bigger game...
My heart is heavy just reading about all these innocent kids suffering because of war 
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. I wish there was something we could do from afar to make things better, but every little bit helps, right? Maybe we can start by supporting organizations that are already doing amazing work in Sudan 
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. And to think that many children are being denied access to basic treatment due to the cost, it's just devastating 
. The idea of remote consultations and access to affordable medicine is truly game-changing 
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Let's keep spreading awareness about this crisis and support organizations that are working tirelessly to provide aid to those in need 
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what really gets me tho is all the kids goin thru this & no one's talkin about 'em like zahir, just tryna stay positive & find a way 2 play football again 
i think its so important 4 us 2 remember these kiddos exist even wen it feels like the whole world's fallin apart 
It's like, the Sudanese government needs to step in and provide some serious help ASAP. Like, we're talking food, shelter, medical care... everything. And can't they do something about those meds? Families should be able to get them without having to make impossible choices like that. And what about those kids who don't have families anymore? They deserve a future too 
. it's heartbreaking 2 think abt zaher & his classmates tryin 2 learn & play despite all they've gone thru 
. we gotta do more 2 help them 2 heal & rebuild their lives #SudanSupport. humanitarian crises r devastating but we cn make a diff 
it just goes to show how messed up war is and how we need more support for these people 
and the fact that those lifesaving medicines gotta be paid by their families is just cruel 
like whats the point of all this war anyway? 
i'm literally sending all my positive vibes to touma and her family 
we can't just sit back and watch these families suffer. we need more help, more attention, and more action to stop this war and bring peace to sudan 
. We need to do more to support these families and help them rebuild their lives after this war is over 
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I'm so sorry Masajed passed away. 
