More than a year has passed since the war between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) erupted, and the United Nations has continuously warned of the potential for famine in certain Sudanese regions.
In a new warning, Carl Skau, Deputy Executive Director of the World Food Programme (WFP), stated on Wednesday that the opportunity to avert a disaster in Sudan is diminishing.
Skau tweeted that he visited the UN WFP team in Sudan to explore ways to expand humanitarian aid to the states of Darfur, Khartoum, Kordofan, Gezira, and others.
He emphasized the urgent need for actions to protect civilians and increase life-saving aid to those in dire need.
The UN has repeatedly warned of severe food shortages in Sudan as clashes escalate, hindering aid delivery to the regions most in need. Hundreds of thousands face acute food scarcity, with some areas on the brink of famine and diseases spreading.
The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), a global tool for tracking hunger, indicates that nearly 18 million Sudanese, more than a third of the country’s 49 million population, are facing “high levels of acute food insecurity.”
The IPC estimates also reveal that close to five million people are one step away from famine.
The conflict between the Sudanese army and the RSF erupted suddenly in mid-April 2023 after weeks of tension between the two sides, as military and civilian parties were finalizing an internationally supported political process.
The deteriorating situation in Sudan underscores the critical need for immediate humanitarian intervention to prevent a large-scale disaster and address the escalating food insecurity crisis.
