New York: The United Nations (UN) has warned that nearly five million people in Sudan are at risk of ‘catastrophic’ famine in the coming months, and called for aid deliveries to the country’s warring parties.
Martin Griffiths, the UN Aid Chief, said in a note to the UN Security Council that the crisis in agricultural production, the breakdown of vital infrastructure and livelihoods, trade disruptions, steep cost increases, barriers to humanitarian access and enormous displacement had led to critical starvation levels.
“Without urgent humanitarian assistance and access to basic commodities, almost 5 million people could slip into catastrophic food insecurity in some parts of the country in the coming months,” Griffiths noted.
The UN Aid Chief stated that some are at risk of starvation as security worsens in western and central Darfur, adding that cross-border aid deliveries from Chad to Darfur are a ‘critical lifeline.’
Griffiths penned in a post on X that, “This is a moment of truth. The parties must silence the guns, protect civilians and ensure humanitarian access.” He commented that some 730,000 Sudanese children are believed to be ‘severely’ malnourished, including more than 240,000 Sudanese in Darfur.
“An unprecedented surge in the treatment of severe wasting, the most lethal manifestation of malnutrition, is already being observed in inaccessible areas,” Griffiths added.
Combat broke out last April between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the paramilitary Rapid Support Force (RSF) of General Mohamed Hamdan ‘Hemedi’ Dagalo. The war resulted in tens of thousands of deaths.
Millions of people in need of help cannot access it due to the warring blocs ‘deliberately’ denying permits to supplies, which the UN warned earlier and stated that could amount to a war crime. The UN Security Council last week called for a ceasefire to mark the beginning of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. The SAF denied a ceasefire, saying that the offensive would only conclude if the RSF withdrew from the sites it now holds.
The RSF, which seemed to be acquiring the upper hand in the war, was charged with atrocities such as summary killings and armed stealing in regions under its control. The women are blamed for being raped or abducted by militias that align themselves with them. Griffiths previously expressed that humanitarian access to Sudan must be enhanced whether or not a truce is proclaimed.
The UN Aid Chief additionally said that, “Half of the country’s 50 million people require aid and just under 18 million people are on the road to famine. 10 million more people are in the category of food insecure than at the same time last year.”
TOP PICKS | UN says violence in Sudan ‘verging on pure evil’
