“A glimmer of hope is shining through Sudan’s dark horizons as more than 700 trucks of food aid are expected to reach starving communities. The country’s war has created an unprecedented humanitarian crisis, forcing many families off their land and plunging people into destitution.”
Markets are starved of food, prices are soaring and aid groups are struggling to reach the most vulnerable populations due to restrictions imposed by warring factions. In Zamzam camp, Nour Abdallah’s heartbreak speaks of the suffering there, where famine was officially declared by world experts last July.
More than 25 million people, more than half of Sudan’s population, are facing acute famine this year. Residents are reduced to eating leftovers such as ombaz, a byproduct of oil production from peanut shells. The situation is critical and calls for urgent mobilization.
The World Food Programme plans to deliver more than 17,000 tons of food aid to assist 1.5 million people for one month. This aid aims to alleviate the suffering of communities across Sudan, particularly in 14 areas categorized as “hot spots” due to the severity of food insecurity and the risk of famine.
The priority is to obtain expanded and sustainable access to provide assistance to all Sudanese populations facing famine. Since the outbreak of war in April 2023, more than 24,000 people have lost their lives and millions have been displaced, fueling the humanitarian crisis.
The nightmare continues with deaths related to malnutrition, particularly among children, reported in hospitals in displacement areas, as witnessed by MSF. These tragedies are the result of the combination of diseases and the extreme weakness caused by famine.
US President Joe Biden is urgently appealing to warring factions to ensure unhindered access to humanitarian aid and to stop targeting civilians. However, the fighting shows no signs of slowing down, leaving an uncertain future for populations already suffering.
In this context of unprecedented crisis, the urgency is acute; a coordinated and rapid international response is needed to avert a humanitarian catastrophe with potentially disastrous consequences. It is time to act, to mobilize and join forces to save lives and bring a breath of hope to the Sudanese people in distress.”