Port Sudan — In a grim revelation, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has sounded the alarm of “catastrophic hunger” in parts of war-torn Sudan next year unless the UN agency can expand its interventions. The warning comes as Sudan grapples with the debilitating effects of prolonged conflict, plunging the country into an escalating hunger crisis.
The WFP issued a poignant statement, highlighting the challenges it faces in providing consistent food assistance to populations trapped in conflict zones in Khartoum, Darfur, and the Kordofan regions. The recent food security analysis paints a harrowing picture, revealing the highest recorded levels of hunger during the typically bountiful harvest season from October through February.
Should there be no substantial increase in food assistance by May, the WFP cautioned that conflict hotspots could witness the emergence of catastrophic hunger, known as Phase 5 on the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC). This dire prediction emphasizes the urgent need for expanded humanitarian efforts to avert a looming hunger catastrophe.
Eddie Rowe, the WFP Country Director and Representative in Sudan, issued an urgent appeal, stressing the critical importance of unfettered access and a humanitarian pause by all parties involved in the conflict. Rowe emphasized that countless lives depend on these interventions, as vast numbers of people remain trapped in areas with active fighting, impeding or entirely preventing the delivery of crucial aid.
The gravity of the situation cannot be overstated, with nearly 18 million people across Sudan facing acute hunger, a staggering figure that has more than doubled in comparison to a year ago. This number surpasses the initial projection of 15 million from the previous assessment conducted in August, signaling a rapid and distressing deterioration of food security.
Of particular concern are the almost 5 million people grappling with emergency levels of food insecurity, with over three-quarters of them located in areas where humanitarian access has been sporadic or, in some instances, entirely impossible due to ongoing hostilities. Despite the WFP’s efforts to provide life-saving assistance to over five million people since the onset of the conflict, regular and safe humanitarian access to the areas worst hit by violence remains inadequate.
Rowe lamented the challenges faced in reaching vulnerable populations, citing the sporadic nature of aid delivery and the alarming disparity between identified individuals in urgent need of assistance and those who have actually received aid. The situation in greater Khartoum, for instance, is dire, with only one in five of the most vulnerable individuals receiving food aid since the conflict erupted.
In a glimmer of relief, convoys from Chad have been able to provide food assistance to half a million people in West and Central Darfur since August. However, individuals in other parts of the Darfur region have not received any assistance since June, despite the WFP’s persistent attempts to secure safe access.
Rowe underscored the alarming pace at which hunger has proliferated over the past year, with an increasing number of people struggling to afford a basic meal each day. This catastrophic trend, if left unchecked, poses a very real risk of pushing people beyond the brink of sustenance.
The factors driving this descent into hunger are manifold, including intensified conflict, escalating intercommunal violence, a macroeconomic crisis, soaring prices of essential goods, and below-average agricultural production. These compounding challenges have created a perfect storm, plunging millions of Sudanese into the throes of a hunger crisis of unprecedented proportions.
As Sudan grapples with these formidable challenges, urgent and sustained international assistance is imperative to prevent the impending catastrophe and alleviate the profound suffering of millions of people. Without a concerted and immediate response, the specter of catastrophic hunger looms large over Sudan, demanding the world’s attention and swift intervention to avert a humanitarian tragedy of colossal proportions.
