Sudan is in the middle of a severe famine, with millions of people struggling to find enough food to eat. This week, the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), which claims to be the country’s government, allowed 15 United Nations aid trucks to cross into Sudan from Chad to deliver food. While this move is a small step toward helping those in desperate need, many worry it’s not nearly enough to address the growing crisis.
For months, Sudan has faced one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world. Over half of Sudan’s 45 million people are in urgent need of food and other aid. More than 12 million people have been forced to leave their homes, including nearly two million who have fled to nearby countries like Chad, Egypt, and South Sudan.
Four weeks ago, a UN report officially declared famine in parts of Darfur, Sudan’s western region. This situation wasn’t surprising, given the ongoing conflict and economic struggles the country has faced for years. However, the current famine is primarily caused by the ongoing war, where starvation is being used as a weapon.
The conflict in Sudan started in April last year between two powerful forces: the Sudanese Armed Forces, led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group led by General Mohamed Hamdan Dagolo, also known as “Hemedti.” As the fighting intensified, communities across Sudan were devastated. The RSF, described like “a swarm of human locusts,” looted the capital, Khartoum, and destroyed essential services like hospitals and schools, making it nearly impossible for people to survive.
Areas known for producing large amounts of food, like Gezira and Sennar along the Blue Nile, have been severely damaged. People there are experiencing hunger for the first time in generations. In Darfur, especially in the city of el-Fasher, the situation is even worse. The city is surrounded by RSF forces, cutting off vital supply routes and leaving people in dire need. Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), a medical aid group, reported famine levels of malnutrition in a nearby camp for displaced people.
Despite the dire need, getting food and supplies to those suffering in Sudan has been extremely challenging. Even in areas where there is no direct conflict, like the border with Chad, aid trucks need special permission from the Sudanese government to enter. In June, the SAF allowed only a small number of UN trucks to bring aid into Sudan for a limited period of three months, and only a few trucks were allowed to cross the border. Meanwhile, hundreds more aid trucks are still waiting to enter the country.
Experts fear that the SAF is using bureaucratic delays to limit the flow of aid and maintain control over the region. But Darfur and other areas need thousands of trucks of food each week to meet the needs of starving people. To provide the necessary aid, all major routes into Sudan—from Port Sudan, South Sudan, Libya, and Egypt—must be opened. But right now, that seems unlikely.
Recent peace talks in Geneva, led by the United States and Saudi Arabia, ended without any real progress. The aim was to get the two military leaders to meet and agree to a ceasefire, but General al-Burhan of the SAF refused to attend unless the RSF withdrew from civilian areas. Without a ceasefire, delivering the necessary aid remains a significant challenge.
Diplomats believe that no real progress will be made until the two sides’ main supporters—the United Arab Emirates for the RSF, and Saudi Arabia and Egypt for the SAF—can reach an agreement. The rivalry between these countries over regional influence has stalled any efforts to end the conflict in Sudan.
For now, millions of people in Sudan remain trapped in a worsening famine, with little hope for immediate relief. The world watches as peace remains elusive and the need for aid becomes even more urgent.
Source: Ghana Web
