The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has issued a grave warning regarding the escalating food crisis in Sudan. The ongoing conflicts and economic downturn are causing significant damage to the nation, making urgent and intensified humanitarian assistance for rural communities absolutely imperative.
Based on the latest projections from the Integrated Food Security Phase (IPC), over 20.3 million individuals, which accounts for over 42 percent of the country’s population, are currently facing severe levels of acute food insecurity (IPC Phase 3 or higher) from July to September 2023. This represents a nearly twofold increase in the number of highly food insecure people compared to the findings of the previous IPC assessment conducted in May 2022.
The situation is extremely critical, with 14 million people in a state of Crisis (IPC Phase 3) and close to 6.3 million people in Emergency (IPC Phase 4), indicating alarming levels of acute hunger. The states that are most severely impacted include areas such as Khartoum, South and West Kordofan, as well as Central, East, South, and West Darfur. In these regions, over half of the population is grappling with acute hunger, largely due to ongoing conflicts.
The violence has led to the displacement of a substantial 2.6 million individuals within the nation and forced more than 700,000 people to seek refuge in neighboring countries. The essential infrastructure, including healthcare facilities, power supplies, and communication networks, has suffered significant damage. This has further worsened the issues of food insecurity and malnutrition. Furthermore, disruptions in the market and the subsequent surge in food prices have compounded the challenges that the population faces in accessing basic necessities and services.
Abdulhakim Elwaer, FAO’s Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative for the Near East and North Africa, has expressed deep concern about the dire circumstances. He emphasized, “The conflict’s devastating consequences on food, nutrition security, and the overall well-being of millions of individuals are deeply troubling. Families are enduring unimaginable hardship, making it absolutely crucial for FAO to step in and provide support to over 1 million farmers during this season to generate sufficient food for the people of Sudan.”
For more Read
