Edem Wosornu, the director of humanitarian operations, told the UN Security Council that already one-third of Sudan's population - 18 million people - face acute food insecurity, and catastrophic hunger levels could be reached in some areas of the western Darfur region by the time "the lean season" arrives in May.

"A recent assessment revealed that one child is dying every two hours in Zamzam camp in El Fasher, North Darfur," she said. "Our humanitarian partners estimate that in the coming weeks and months, somewhere in the region of around 222,000 children could die from malnutrition."

Wosornu said there had been appalling accounts of ethnic-based attacks, sexual violence including gang rapes, and indiscriminate attacks in densely populated areas,

With the global spotlight now on the Israeli-Hamas war in Gaza and to a lesser extent on the war in Ukraine, she lamented that "A humanitarian travesty is playing out in Sudan under a veil of international inattention and inaction."

Sudan plunged into chaos last April, when long-simmering tensions between its military led by General Abdel Fattah Burhan and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces commanded by Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo broke out into street battles in the capital, Khartoum.

Fighting quickly spread to other parts of the country, especially urban areas, but in Darfur it took on a different form, with brutal attacks by the Arab-dominated Rapid Support Forces on ethnic African civilians. Thousands of people have been killed.

Two decades ago, Darfur became synonymous with genocide and war crimes, particularly by the notorious Janjaweed Arab militias against populations that identify as Central or East African.

In late January, the International Criminal Court's prosecutor, Karim Khan, said there are grounds to believe both sides in the current conflict are committing possible war crimes, crimes against humanity or genocide in Darfur.

The UN's Wosornu said there has been no respite from fierce fighting in Khartoum, Darfur and Kordofan which are home to 90 per cent of the people facing emergency levels of food insecurity.

Farmers have been forced to abandon their fields and cereal production has dropped since hostilities moved into Sudan's breadbasket, Jazeera state, in December, she said.

Wosornu said the UN appeal for $2.7 billion for Sudan is less than 5 per cent funded - receiving just $131 million.

She expressed hope that a high-level donors conference for Sudan and its neighbours in Paris on April 15 will lead to "tangible commitments" to support aid operations in the face of looming famine.

In addition, Wosornu said, the UN must have access to reach the most vulnerable people in Khartoum, Darfur, Kordofan and Jazeera states which "continues to be severely obstructed" by the fighting.

Carl Skau, the UN World Food Program's deputy executive director, told the council the rapidly worsening food security situation in Sudan also has "profound regional implications."

He said 7 million people in neighbouring South Sudan and nearly 3 million in Chad which borders Darfur also face dire hunger.

Australian Associated Press