KEY POINTS
- Famine spreads to five regions in Sudan, with more at risk.
- Humanitarian aid efforts face severe obstructions from both warring parties.
- Nearly half of Sudan’s population urgently needs food aid by May.
Sudan’s hunger crisis is spiraling, with famine now confirmed in five areas, including Abu Shouk, al-Salam, and Zamzam camps in North Darfur. The Famine Review Committee of the Integrated Food Phase Classification (IPC) predicts the crisis will spread to five additional areas by May.
An estimated 24.6 million Sudanese, nearly half the population, urgently require food aid through May, marking a sharp increase from earlier projections.
The IPC’s findings underscore the catastrophic impact of Sudan’s ongoing civil war, which erupted in April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
The conflict has decimated food production, disrupted trade, and displaced over 12 million people, creating the world’s largest displacement crisis.
Humanitarian aid faces severe obstacles
Humanitarian aid efforts in Sudan are being obstructed by both warring parties. The RSF has looted food supplies, disrupted farming, and besieged areas, driving food prices to unaffordable levels.
Meanwhile, the government has imposed bureaucratic hurdles and restricted aid workers’ access to conflict zones, particularly in Darfur.
Jean-Martin Bauer, director of food security and nutrition analysis for the U.N.’s World Food Program, stressed the urgency of delivering aid, saying, “We have the food, the trucks, and the people. We need safe passage to provide assistance.”
According to Reuters, only 10 percent of people in areas reviewed by the IPC received food assistance in the last three months. Additionally, the Sudanese government has been accused of slowing visa approvals for aid workers and discouraging NGOs from operating in Darfur, claiming no legitimate needs exist in the region.
International response and Government resistance
The Sudanese government has criticized the IPC’s reports, accusing the body of undermining Sudan’s sovereignty and issuing unreliable findings. It temporarily halted famine assessments earlier this year and excluded critical malnutrition data from its analysis.
Despite the IPC’s independent status and its role in global hunger monitoring, the Sudanese government’s interference has delayed famine determinations and hampered humanitarian responses. The government and RSF blame each other for obstructing aid delivery.
The IPC predicts famine conditions will worsen without immediate and unhindered humanitarian efforts, calling for increased international attention to the crisis.
