Sudan Faces Imminent Hunger Crisis, UN Sounds Alarm on Humanitarian Emergency

The United Nations agency has issued a warning that the war in Sudan is causing the world's largest hunger crisis, affecting over 25 million people. According to the World Food Program (WFP), nine out of ten people in Sudan are experiencing emergency levels of hunger. They are stuck in areas that are mostly inaccessible due to ongoing violence and interference by the warring parties.

The war in Sudan, as reported by the UN, has resulted in the world's largest displacement crisis. This has left 18 million people in Sudan "acutely food insecure," with millions more affected in neighboring South Sudan and Chad.

Cindy McCain, the Executive Director of the WFP, expressed concern over the situation. She highlighted that twenty years ago, Darfur faced a major hunger crisis, prompting a global response. However, today, the people of Sudan are being overlooked. The lives of millions are at risk, along with the peace and stability of the entire region.

Thousands of people have lost their lives and eight million have been forced to leave their homes since conflict erupted in April. The fighting is between supporters of two opposing generals in Sudan - army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, who leads the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), and General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, the head of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

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Both forces and their allied militias have been accused of committing serious offenses such as killing civilians, looting homes, and carrying out ethnic cleansing. These actions have resulted in accusations of crimes against humanity and have contributed to the mass exodus from the East African country.

The World Food Programme (WFP) has expressed difficulties in meeting the high level of need in the region. They have described the humanitarian situation in the neighboring states as being at a critical breaking point.

The WFP has reported that the crisis has worsened as the program had to stop delivering aid from Chad to Sudan's Darfur region due to revoked permission for truck convoys. Over one million people had received aid along this route since August.

According to the WFP, one out of every five children at transit centers near the main border crossing between Sudan and South Sudan is malnourished.

"According to the WFP, 35 percent of newly arrived displaced people in South Sudan are experiencing the highest level of hunger, even though they make up less than 3 percent of the population."

A woman sorts grains at a market in Gedaref, eastern Sudan, on February 22, 2024. Nearly a year into a war that has sent Sudan to the verge of collapse, the vast majority of its people are going hungry, the UN's World Food Programme says.

In Gedaref, eastern Sudan, a woman is seen sorting grains at a market on February 22, 2024. The UN's World Food Programme reports that almost a year into the war, Sudan is on the brink of collapse, leading to widespread hunger among its people.

The WFP issued a warning about disturbing findings. US Ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, revealed evidence of girls as young as 14 being raped by members of the Rapid Support Forces in WFP storage facilities under their control.

During a recent speech, Thomas-Greenfield shared alarming details from the UN Panel of Experts’ final report on Sudan. She referred to the report as containing "52 pages of stomach-churning findings."

According to the report, RSF snipers were reported to have targeted civilians, including women, pregnant women, and young people. Additionally, the report highlighted that schools, hospitals, markets, government buildings, and humanitarian assets were looted primarily by RSF and allied militias. These locations were also destroyed by shelling and bombing from the two warring parties.

The UN has stated that the increase in gender-based violence during the conflict is considered crimes against humanity. In July, the UN reported that around 4.2 million women and girls faced a higher risk of sexual violence. Additionally, a CNN investigation revealed numerous cases of sexual assault, especially in the Darfur region, where targeted ethnic-based killings have devastated entire communities.

Sudanese civilians walk through a nearly empty road with many shops closed for security reasons in Gedaref city in eastern Sudan on January 10, 2024.

Sudanese civilians walk through a nearly empty road with many shops closed for security reasons in Gedaref city in eastern Sudan on January 10, 2024.

AFP/Getty Images

Thomas-Greenfield expressed concern about the latest report, which contained "gruesome photos" from West Darfur showing the targeting of the Masalit community by the RSF.

She described the conflict as a situation of death, destruction, and depravity, emphasizing that arms transfers from regional powers are fueling the crisis. She called for an immediate halt to these transfers, stating that the international community needs to do more to address the ongoing crisis.

“It is my hope that this sobering report will, at long last, shake the world from its indifference to the horrors playing out before our eyes,” she added.

Editor's P/S:

The war in Sudan has created a dire humanitarian crisis, with millions of people facing severe hunger and displacement. The conflict has escalated into the world's largest displacement crisis, with 18 million people in Sudan and neighboring countries now acutely food insecure. The situation is particularly alarming in Darfur, where targeted ethnic-based killings have devastated entire communities.

The United Nations has issued a warning that the war in Sudan is causing the world's largest hunger crisis, affecting over 25 million people. The World Food Program (WFP) reports that nine out of ten people in Sudan are experiencing emergency levels of hunger. The conflict has also resulted in the world's largest displacement crisis, with 18 million people in Sudan and neighboring countries now acutely food insecure. The situation is particularly alarming in Darfur, where targeted ethnic-based killings have devastated entire communities. The UN has