Sudan: Facing the Heart of Famine

A report by Nicole Hajal, English adaptation by Nadine Sassine 

 

Gaza is not alone on the brink of famine, Sudan faces this crisis too.

 

Here are startling figures about the world's largest hunger crisis that may threaten Sudan:

 

-         A child dies every two hours in Darfur camps.

 

-         Nearly 25 million people urgently need humanitarian aid, including 14 million children.

 

-         Less than 5% of Sudanese can afford a full meal.

Despite these shocking statistics from Doctors Without Borders, the organization's head in Sudan states that the World Food Programme has not distributed food since May last year. Families are resorting to drinking stagnant water or river water.

In a country already witnessing the largest internal displacement crisis globally, confrontations between the army and Rapid Support Forces for nearly a year have exacerbated a hunger crisis among civilians enduring shelling, infrastructure destruction, looting, and forced displacement.

While Sudan's crisis isn't new, when the Darfur war erupted twenty years ago, it triggered the world's largest hunger crisis, prompting unified global efforts to address it. Today, after months of neglect, the Security Council is moving to remove barriers hindering the rapid delivery of humanitarian aid to a country torn apart by wars, armed robbery, and poverty.