Muhamad Yehia.. Cairo
.. That’s how many people experience extreme hunger in Sudan
They represent half the war-ravaged country’s population, and many of them are at risk of acute famine, according to the World Food Programme (WFP).
The organisation called on all parties involved in the Sudan conflict, which started in April 2023, to end restrictions on aid access and facilitate help efforts for the suffering population.
Shaun Hughes, WFP Sudan Regional Emergency Coordinator, said: “Two years since the onset of the war, Sudan has now become the world’s largest hunger crisis. Nearly half the population are acutely food insecure. Famine has taken hold in parts of Darfur and is spreading. In order to turn the tide, WFP needs access in order to reach people that have been isolated by the conflict and we also need funding.”
The situation is particularly dire in refugee camps such as ZamZam camp in north Dafur, the first place where famine was detected last August.
The conflict has forced at least 13 million people to flee their homes. Around 8 million are internally displaced (IDPs), while many more have crossed Sudan’s borders to flee to neighbouring countries, where they are also in need of humanitarian aid.
An acute lack of funding in the humanitarian aid sector
The appeal by the WFP comes as humanitarian aid has experienced cuts around the world. A major loss has been the reduction of American development aid following the slashing of USAID by US president Donald Trump only a few days after taking office.
The cuts have also affected the WFP, with reports of terminated US funding for some of its programmes being restored, while others remained in limbo.
“We know that it is not possible to stop a famine with food alone. You need health care. You need water. You need sanitation. So the whole response needs to be well supported in order to be able to turn this around and stem the tide of famine,” Hughes said.