UN predicts Sudan’s hunger problem would surpass all others in the world

The fighting in Sudan has been going on for almost a year between the military and paramilitary forces. This has caused a big problem with hunger in the country. Many people, especially children, are not getting enough food and it is making them sick. The UN said that if this continues, Sudan could have the worst hunger crisis in the world.

Edem Wosornu, in charge of helping people in need, said to the UN Security Council that 18 million people in Sudan don’t have enough food to eat. In some parts of the western Darfur region, hunger could get really bad by May.

“One assessment found that a child is dying every two hours in Zamzam camp in El Fasher, North Darfur,” she said. “Our friends who help people say that in the next few weeks and months, about 222,000 children could die from not having enough food. ”

Wosornu said the violent situation is really scary. There have been terrible attacks based on people’s ethnicity, sexual violence like gang rapes, and attacks in crowded places. It’s like something from a bad dream.

The writer is sad that no one is paying attention to the terrible situation in Sudan, while everyone is focused on the wars in Gaza and Ukraine. It’s a big problem that needs to be solved.

Bashir and the civilian opposition finally boiled over, leading to widespread violence and instability. Abdel Fattah Burhan and his Rapid Support Forces fought in the streets of Khartoum.

The fighting quickly spread to other parts of the country, especially in cities. In Darfur, the fighting was different – the Arab-dominated Rapid Support Forces brutally attacked ethnic African civilians. Many people have died.

Twenty years ago, Darfur became known for genocide and war crimes. The Janjaweed Arab militias were particularly known for attacking Central and East African populations. In January, the International Criminal Court’s prosecutor, Karim Khan, said that both sides in the current conflict in Darfur may be committing serious crimes like war crimes, crimes against humanity or genocide.

Wosornu from the UN said that there is still a lot of fighting in Khartoum, Darfur, and Kordofan. These areas have 90% of people who don’t have enough food.

Farmers had to leave their fields and there has been less cereal production in Sudan’s Jazeera state since the fighting started in December.

In this situation, giving aid to help people should be very important, Wosornu said. But the UN asked for $2. 7 billion to help Sudan, and they have only received $131 million so far.

She said she hopes an important meeting in Paris on April 15 will lead to real promises to help Sudan and its neighbors with food, because they might have a famine soon.

Furthermore, Wosornu stated that the UN needs to be able to reach the most at-risk people in Khartoum, Darfur, Kordofan and Jazeera states. This is currently being made very difficult by the ongoing fighting. She said that aid should be allowed to go across borders and be approved to help people in conflict areas.

Carl Skau, who works for the UN World Food Program, said that the food situation in Sudan is getting worse very quickly and it is also affecting nearby areas.

Besides the 18 million people in Sudan who don’t have enough food, there are also seven million people in South Sudan and almost three million people in Chad who are very hungry.

Skau said that most of the people who really need food to stay alive cannot get it because it is hard for aid groups to reach them. This includes areas like Khartoum, Jazeera, Kordofan, and Darfur.

“If we want to stop Sudan from having the biggest hunger crisis in the world, we need to work together and act quickly with diplomacy,” he said. “We need everyone to allow complete access: through borders and in areas where there is fighting. ”

Echoing what Wosornu said about needing money, he said WFP had to stop helping three million very hungry people in South Sudan and give less food to others in need because they don’t have enough money. In Chad, he said that WFP will have to stop helping 1. 2 million refugees and almost three million Chadians.

Skau is worried that more people will be hungry when Sudan’s dry season comes. It could get really bad unless people can keep getting food and support.

Rein Paulsen, who is in charge of emergencies and resilience at the FAO office, said at a press conference that a report on Sudan released on Tuesday shows how the fighting has hurt farming. The report found that cereal production in 2023 was 46% lower than in 2022, and in some areas with the most fighting, it dropped by up to 80%.

“In 2024, it looks like there won’t be enough food,” he said.