UN sounds alarm about rapidly deteriorating food insecurity in Sudan

By Merve Aydogan

TORONTO, Canada (AA) - The UN on Wednesday warned about the rapidly increasing food insecurity in Sudan and the region, and urged immediate action from the international community.

"We are here today to warn you of a far-reaching and fast-deteriorating situation of food insecurity in Sudan -- a situation driven by 11 months of brutal and unremitting conflict," Edem Wosornu, director of operations and advocacy division at the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), told the UN Security Council.

Noting warnings about attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure in Sudan that could constitute crimes against humanity, Wosornu warned that "in Khartoum, Darfur, and Kordofan, which are home to 90% of people facing emergency levels of acute food insecurity, there has been no respite from the fierce fighting for 340 days."

Emphasizing that "Sudan is one of the worst humanitarian disasters in recent memory," the OCHA director warned that in certain areas of Darfur, residents could reach "catastrophe" food insecurity by May.

"A recent assessment revealed that one child is dying every two hours in the Zamzam camp in El Fasher, north Darfur," she said, adding that 222,000 children in the region could die from malnutrition in weeks, according to humanitarian officials.

Wosornu stressed the urgent need for approvals to enable the crossline movement of aid supplies as she noted the necessity for parties to safeguard humanitarian staff and resources to effectively respond to the growing hunger crisis.

"A humanitarian travesty is playing out in Sudan under a veil of international inattention and inaction. Simply put, we are failing the people of Sudan," she said.

- 18 million at rick of food crisis

Maurizio Martina, deputy director-general of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), said the level of hunger across Sudan is "deeply concerning."

"The spread and escalation of fighting is directly impacting food security, especially as the conflict reaches new areas; hostilities are expanding across southeastern States," he said.

Noting the significance of preserving agriculture, Martina said: "As the season nears, time-sensitive and life-saving agricultural assistance is crucial to tackle the hunger crisis."

He warned that 18 million people in Sudan are at risk of facing a food crisis and stressed the necessity of preserving the agricultural system.

"With over 8 million people displaced, the Sudan is the world's largest displacement crisis," he added.

Carl Skau, World Food Program's deputy executive director, said nearly 28 million people in the region are grappling with food insecurity.

Saying that WFP's relief operations are being severely hindered by access and resource shortages, Skau said, "Currently, 90% of the people in IPC Phase 4 “(Integrated Food Security Phase Classification), who urgently need life-saving food assistance, are trapped in areas that are largely inaccessible to humanitarian agencies."

Issuing a warning that time is running out, Skau stressed the need for action from the Security Council to ensure the implementation of resolution 2417 for Sudan, stating that this could prevent the hunger crisis in Sudan and the region.

The resolution aims to tackle conflict-driven food insecurity, including famine. It condemns the unlawful obstruction of humanitarian access and the use of starvation as a tactic of warfare.

Sudan has been mired in fighting between the army, led by Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, who is the head of the ruling Sovereign Council, and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

At least 13,900 people have been killed and more than 8 million displaced in the conflict that started in April 2023, according to UN figures.

Several cease-fire agreements brokered by Saudi Arabia and US mediators have failed to end the violence.