More than 20 children died of measles and dozens others contracted the disease from November until December in areas under control of SPLA-North in the Nuba Mountain region, a rebel official said.

SPLM-North and the Sudanese government have been fighting each other since 2011.

Tutu Mustafa, Secretary of Health in the Nuba Mountains region, told Radio Tamazuj yesterday the health situation in the SPLA-North controlled areas is deteriorating.

Mustafa pointed out that they recorded about 100 cases of measles and that more than 20 children among the cases died from November until December.

“We have cases of measles these days. All these cases are among children less than five years, over 100 cases were recorded from November until December and about 20 children died,” he said.

 Mustafa attributed the problem to poor health conditions due to lack of vaccination of children since the outbreak of war in 2011.He called on the international community to put pressure on the Khartoum government to allow vaccination of children in the Blue Nile and South Kordofan regions.