- Eight million people are displaced in Sudan.
- Less than one in 20 people in this country has enough to eat.
- The food crisis affects more than 25 million people across Sudan, South Sudan and Chad.
Sudan's civil war, now in its 12th month, has left thousands dead, more than 8 million displaced, food insecure and potentially the world's biggest humanitarian crisis, the World Food Program (WFP) says. ) announced.
This is something of a throwback to the Darfur War, also known as the “Land Cruiser War,” which lasted from February 2003 to August 2020.
During this period, the Sudanese Liberation Movement and the Justice and Equality Movement were the main opposition forces fighting the Sudanese government for oppressing non-Arabs in Darfur.
In retaliation, the government attacked non-Arabs in Darfur.
The war left more than 2 million people dead and more than 4 million displaced.
This time, the Rapid Support Force, a paramilitary group led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, is engaging the Sudanese National Army, led by the de facto head of state, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan.
Dagalo and al-Burhan are both perpetrators of the Darfur conflict and worked together to remove Omar al-Bashir in 2020.
Read | UN says war-torn Sudan must not be forgotten, calls for $4 billion in aid
Their fight for supremacy is currently tearing Sudan apart and causing a humanitarian crisis that has received less global attention than the Darfur crisis.
“Twenty years ago, Darfur was the world's biggest hunger crisis, and the world rallied to respond. But today, the people of Sudan are forgotten.
“Millions of lives and peace and stability across the region are at stake,” WFP Executive Director Cindy McCain said.
The report estimates that “fewer than one in 20 people in Sudan has enough to eat.”
WFP has announced that 18 million people in Sudan are severely food insecure and 5 million are hungry.
The situation has worsened as continued violence and intervention from parties to the conflict have left humanitarian workers underfunded and restricted.
South Sudan hosts the largest number of refugees fleeing Sudan.
Aid agencies say there may be 600,000 refugees in camps in South Sudan.
Given this demographic, WFP added, “one in five children in border crossing centers is malnourished.”
The food crisis is not limited to Sudan. It affects more than 25 million people across Sudan, South Sudan and Chad.
Mr. McCain visited South Sudan over the weekend and witnessed firsthand the suffering of refugees fleeing Sudan.
More than once, I have met mothers and children who have fled for their lives, and now hunger is closing in on them.
“The effects of inaction will go far beyond mothers not being able to feed their children, and will shape this region for years to come,” she says.
Uganda also accepts refugees from Sudan.
According to the United Nations, more than 15,000 Sudanese refugees are in Uganda, making up 40% of the refugee population.
The International Rescue Committee's Uganda office has had its budget cut by 30% this year, so Uganda does not have the capacity to accommodate any more.
News24 Africa Desk is supported by the Hans Seidel Foundation. Articles produced through Africa Desk, and the opinions and statements contained herein, do not reflect the opinions and statements of the Hans His Seidel Foundation.