According to the latest IPC food security report, more than 21 million people in Sudan face high levels of acute food insecurity – the largest crisis of its kind in the world.
Famine takes root
The analysis found that famine persists in El Fasher, North Darfur, and Kadugli, South Kordofan, where families are trapped and survive on leaves, animal food and grass.
Around 375,000 people nationwide face ‘catastrophic’ levels of hungerwhich means they are on the verge of starvation.
The IPC is a global system used by UN agencies and humanitarian partners to measure the severity of hunger: check our explainer here.
It classifies food crises on a five-point scale, with phase 5 – famine – representing extreme deprivation marked by starvation, acute malnutrition and increased deaths.
The latest findings for Sudan have been reviewed and confirmed by the IPC’s Independent Famine Review Committee.
A turning point in El Fasher
Living conditions for civilians remain desperate. Following the capture of El Fasher by Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militias last week after more than 500 days of siege, the UN says hundreds of civilians – including aid workers – have been killed and many others are trapped behind barricades.
The city remains sealed off, with food, medicine and relief blocked despite urgent calls to access them.
The UN humanitarian office, OCHAcalled this obstruction “unacceptable” and called for immediate and safe passage for humanitarian convoys.
Nearly 71,000 people have fled El Fasher and its surrounding areas since the end of October, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), many report murders, kidnappings and sexual violence along the way.
Living conditions are dire in Tawila, about 70 kilometers away, where most have found refuge: families are sleeping outside, food stocks are exhausted and drinking water is rare.
In neighboring Kordofan, violence has increased in recent days, driving tens of thousands of people from their homes.
Children’s Agency, UNICEFreported that missile strikes in Kadugli last Friday killed at least eight child refugees in displacement sites.
Disaster for civilians
The UN humanitarian coordinator in Sudan, Denise Brown, described the situation as follows: “catastrophic for civilians trapped between front lines, cut off from assistance and facing large-scale hunger“.
She again called for an immediate ceasefire, protection of civilians and unhindered humanitarian access.
With only 28 percent of Sudan’s $4.16 billion humanitarian plan funded so far this year – amid an unprecedented drop in aid spending from donor governments around the world – the UN has warned that vital operations remain at risk.
Without a halt to fighting and a massive increase in aid, millions more could face starvation in the months to come.
Publicado anteriormente en Almouwatin.
