The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) said on Wednesday that nine out of 10 people across Sudan face “emergency levels of hunger” and are “trapped” in “largely inaccessible” areas due to “relentless violence and interference by warring parties”.
The war has also created the world's largest displacement crisis, leaving 18 million people "severely food insecure" in Sudan and millions more in neighboring South Sudan and Chad, according to the United Nations.
A boy sits on a hilltop overlooking a refugee camp near the Chad-Sudan border on November 9, 2023. Photo: Reuters
“Twenty years ago, Darfur was the world’s largest hunger crisis and the world rallied to respond. But today, the people of Sudan have been forgotten. Millions of lives are at stake, as is the peace and stability of the entire region,” said Cindy McCain, WFP Executive Director.
Thousands of people have been killed and 8 million displaced since fighting broke out in April between forces loyal to two rival generals – army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, who heads the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF), and the head of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo.
Both forces have been accused of killing civilians, ransacking homes and ethnic cleansing, leading to accusations of crimes against humanity and fueling an exodus from the East African nation.
One in five children at transit centers at the main border crossing between Sudan and South Sudan is malnourished, according to WFP.
“Recently arriving displaced people in South Sudan account for 35% of those facing catastrophic levels of hunger – the highest possible level – despite making up less than 3% of the population,” WFP added.
Mai Anh (according to CNN)
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