WAD MADANI: The United Nations has issued a grave warning of an impending famine in Sudan as the country faces soaring hunger amid months of devastating war. The conflict has disrupted food supplies and forced nearly four million people to flee the fighting.
The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization revealed that over 20.3 million people in Sudan, representing more than 42 percent of the population, are experiencing high levels of acute food insecurity. This figure includes 6.3 million people who are just one step away from famine.
Before the outbreak of war between army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his former deputy, Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, nearly half of the population was already highly food insecure. The ongoing conflict has caused widespread destruction of critical infrastructure, severely hampered agriculture, and obstructed the delivery of vital humanitarian aid.
The situation is particularly dire in West Darfur, where more than half of the population is facing acute hunger. The region has witnessed some of the worst clashes, with civilians targeted based on their ethnicity and subjected to mass sexual violence.
Impact of Sudan Fighting
The fighting has resulted in over three million people being internally displaced, with almost a million more fleeing across Sudan’s borders. The capital, Khartoum, has seen upwards of two million people fleeing, constituting 40 percent of its pre-war population.
Despite promises from the warring parties, no humanitarian corridors have been established, preventing aid organizations from delivering life-saving assistance. The continuous air strikes, artillery battles, and gunfire have turned cities, including the capital, into war zones, leaving civilians pleading for relief.
Deadly urban battles continued in Khartoum on Wednesday, with an army spokesman reporting that “dozens from the rebel militia” were “killed and wounded” in an air strike in the southern part of the city.
The Rapid Support Forces (RSF), accused of atrocities but positioning itself as the defender of democracy, once again accused the army of “conspiring” with the former regime of ousted autocrat Omar al-Bashir. The RSF warned against “civil war” and accused the army of sheltering members of the old guard who seek to regain power.
The country’s fragile transition to civilian rule, following the ousting of Bashir in 2019, was further disrupted by a 2021 coup led by Burhan, with Daglo as his deputy. The bitter feud between the two generals has exacerbated the humanitarian crisis and raised concerns about the country’s stability and future prospects.
