Children in Darfur are expected to die from hunger “within days” as famine conditions persist more than 1,000 days into the brutal conflict, the United Nations’ top Sudan official has warned.

Speaking to Middle East Eye on Wednesday, following recent UN missions to conflict-affected areas, Denise Brown, the UN’s resident and humanitarian coordinator in Sudan, said aid agencies were uncovering “horrendous” conditions as limited access is negotiated to previously unreachable locations.

Brown said that two weeks ago the UN found malnutrition rates among children in Um Baru in North Darfur to have reached 53 percent.