Experts warn that 755,000 people are at risk of starvation in the coming months in war-torn Sudan

CAIRO– International experts painted a grim picture for War-torn Sudanwarning in a report on Thursday that 755,000 are facing hunger over the next few months, amid relentless clashes between rival generals.

The latest findings come from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, or IPC, an initiative first created in 2004 during the famine in Somalia that now includes more than a dozen UN agencies, aid groups, governments and others. organisms.

The report states that 8.5 million people face extreme food shortages after 14 months of conflict in Sudan.

The northeast African country descended into chaos in April last year as tensions simmered between the country’s military, led by General Abdel-Fattah Burhan, and a notorious paramilitary group, the Rapid Support Forces, commanded by General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo. , exploded openly. fighting in the capital, Khartoum, and in other parts of the country.

The devastating conflict has killed more than 14,000 people and injured another 33,000, according to the United Nations, but human rights activists say the toll could be much higher.

The conflict has created the world’s largest displacement crisis, with more than 11 million people forced to flee their homes. Human rights experts working for the United Nations said both sides in the conflict used food and hunger as a weapon of war.

The hunger report states that people who will face the highest level of hunger in the coming months are in 10 provinces, including Khartoum; the regions of Darfur and Kordofan; and the provinces of Blue Nile and Jazira. The number was zero in June 2023 and increased to 755,000 last year, he said.

“The conflict has not only triggered mass displacement and disruption of supply routes, market systems and agricultural production, it has also severely limited access to essential humanitarian assistance, exacerbating an already dire situation,” the report states.

Another 8.5 million people are classified in the second worst level of hunger, or Stage 4, meaning the risk of hunger-related death is rapidly increasing, the IPC report states. These people face extreme food shortages, acute malnutrition and excessively high levels of disease, he added.

Overall, 25.6 million people, more than half of the country’s 47 million inhabitants, face “crises or worse conditions” between June and September. He warned of the risk of famine in 14 areas “if the conflict escalates further, including through greater mobilization of local militias.”

“The situation is especially critical for populations trapped in areas affected by direct conflicts and/or insecurity and lack of protection,” states the report. He referred to Darfur, Kordofan, Khatoum and Jazira, where fighting lasted months.

The conflict has been marked by atrocities, including rape, gang rape and ethnically motivated attacks, which human rights groups consider war crimes and crimes against humanity. In recent months, fighting has expanded to new areas, including agricultural centers such as Jazira province, which the RSF captured last year.

Tjada D’Oyen McKenna, chief executive of the non-governmental organization Mercy Corps, said the expansion of fighting has devastated food production and caused severe malnutrition among children, pregnant and lactating women, the chronically ill and the elderly.

“Sudan has become one of the greatest and most ignored man-made tragedies,” said McKenna. “This crisis requires urgent diplomatic efforts to ensure the rapid and safe delivery of humanitarian aid and the protection of civilians.”