American officials have warned that an impending famine in one of the sprawling camps for war-displaced people in Darfur, Sudan, is escalating uncontrollably as armed groups in the country obstruct aid deliveries.
The officials cautioned that the current conditions could result in a famine more deadly than the last major famine globally, which occurred 13 years ago.
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), and other independent and governmental humanitarian agencies have intensified their calls for a ceasefire and the delivery of aid across Sudan. This follows confirmation by international experts on Thursday that a full-scale famine has developed in at least one of the three giant temporary camps, which house up to 600,000 people displaced by the ongoing war in Sudan that has lasted for over a year.
Two American officials briefed journalists on Friday about their analysis of the crisis, following the declaration of the famine, the third such declaration in the 20-year history of the Famine Review Committee.
The American officials, speaking on condition of anonymity as they are not authorized to speak to the media, said the situation in Sudan threatens to be the most lethal famine since the last major famine, which struck Somalia in 2011 and claimed the lives of a quarter-million people, half of whom were children under five.
One U.S. official stated that the restrictions imposed by warring parties in Sudan on food and other aid to civilians trapped in the Zamzam camp represent “the humanitarian community’s worst fears.”
As global attention remains focused on conflicts in Ukraine, Gaza, and the broader Middle East, Sudan’s war has escalated into the world’s largest humanitarian crisis.
The United Nations reported last month that 10.7 million people have been displaced by the conflict, with a significant portion of the country facing acute hunger.
