Sudan is facing a worsening famine crisis, with escalating hunger and a sharp increase in acute malnutrition, according to an independent group of food security experts.
The famine has now spread to five regions, leaving 24.6 million people—nearly half of the population—desperately needing food assistance.
The ongoing civil war, which has raged for 20 months, has been the primary cause of the crisis.
Efforts to mediate the conflict between Sudan’s military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have failed to bring about peace.
The power struggle between the two groups, which began after their joint coup in 2021, escalated into a full-scale civil war in 2023.
The conflict has triggered one of the worst humanitarian crises globally, with the UN-backed Famine Review Committee (FRC) warning that further catastrophe could follow unless the war ends.
The FRC, part of the global Integrated Food Phase Classification (IPC) initiative, initially reported famine conditions in August at Sudan’s Zamzam camp in the Darfur region, which shelters about half a million displaced people.
In its latest report, the FRC confirmed famine in additional camps in Darfur and areas of South Kordofan.
“Famine is the most extreme manifestation of human suffering,” the FRC stated, explaining that it reflects a collapse in essential survival systems, such as health, livelihoods, and social structures.
The FRC also warned that famine could spread to five more regions in Darfur by May, with a risk of it reaching 17 other areas.
The violence, particularly in Darfur and South Kordofan, has disrupted farming, with many farmers abandoning crops, while looting and destruction of resources have worsened the situation.
In response to the FRC’s reports, Sudan’s military-backed government suspended its cooperation with the organization, accusing it of issuing “unreliable reports that undermine Sudan’s sovereignty and dignity.”
As of May, estimates indicated that up to 150,000 people had lost their lives in the conflict, with civilians enduring killings, abductions, and sexual violence.
Source-BBC
