Child malnutrition on rise in Darfur

NAIROBI, Kenya, Dec. 26 (UPI) -- A U.N. report said despite international aid to the war-torn Sudanese region of Darfur, child malnutrition is on the rise there.

While more than 12,000 relief workers are in the troubled region to help deliver the international aid to the struggling population, the U.N. report found that 16.1 percent of children living in the Sudan region are currently malnourished, The New York Times said Wednesday.

That percentage, an increase from the 12.9 percent from 2006, has reportedly crossed the United Nations' emergency threshold for such matters.

Doctors Without Borders official Jean Rigal said that the international aid system is clearly not working, but no official cause for the failure has been determined.

"This is a big deal," said the doctor, who is currently working in the Sudan. "The system is not working as expected."

The Times said the troubling news comes as reports from Darfur have detailed an increasingly chaotic region that is lacking in security and a proven emergency food dispersal program.