Nearly 19.5 million people in Sudan facing acute food insecurity: UN
United Nations, May 16
Nearly 19.5 million people in Sudan are facing crisis levels of acute food insecurity, a UN spokesperson said, citing the Food and Agriculture Organization, the World Food Programme and the United Nations Children's Fund.
While 14 areas are at risk of famine across Greater Darfur and Greater Kordofan, conditions are expected to deteriorate further during the lean season between June and September, Farhan Haq, deputy spokesperson for the UN secretary-general, told a daily briefing on Friday (local time).
Meanwhile, humanitarian assistance remains critically inadequate compared with the scale of needs, he said.
Between February and May, humanitarian partners aimed to reach 4.8 million people per month, but only an estimated 3.13 million people received assistance in February, Haq said.
FAO, WFP, and UNICEF have called for an immediate cessation of hostilities and urged the international community to urgently scale up funding for food, emergency food production, nutrition, health, and water and sanitation services, as well as support for actions to rebuild livelihoods, the spokesperson added.
Earlier on May 13, UN humanitarians said that aid is being distributed in war-torn southwestern Sudan, while an amount of 12 million US dollars is targeted for famine relief in the neighbouring country of South Sudan.
"The UN and its humanitarian partners continue to respond to humanitarian needs across Sudan," said the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
The office said that in the Kordofan region, aid organisations are providing life-saving support to displaced people, refugees and host communities, with water and sanitation assistance reaching some 85,000 people in the localities of Sheikan and Ar Rahad in the state of North Kordofan.
Humanitarians distributed blankets, mosquito nets and other household essentials to 2,000 displaced families in Sheikan, and cash assistance reached 200 families in the Taggat displacement site in April.
OCHA said that in South Kordofan state, nearly 88,000 people, including South Sudanese refugees, displaced people and host communities, received water and sanitation support.
However, the office said it is alarmed that fighting continues to put civilians at grave risk.
— IANS
Reader Comments
It's alarming how the international community seems to have forgotten Sudan. We've seen similar crises in Syria and Yemen. 12 million US dollars for famine relief in South Sudan sounds like a drop in the ocean given the scale of need here. Where is the global response? 😢
As an Indian, I feel our experience with the Green Revolution could offer lessons. But first, the fighting must stop. I'm saddened that while we debate politics, children in Sudan are going to bed hungry. The UN should pressure all parties more forcefully to allow humanitarian corridors. 🕊️
The statistics are staggering - 4.8 million people targeted but only 3.13 million reached. That's a gap of over 1.6 million people. I know India has its own challenges but surely we can contribute more to global food security efforts. Every rupee counts when lives are at stake. 😔
It's frustrating to see the same pattern repeating - conflict creates food crisis, but international response is too slow. The lean season is coming and 14 areas are at risk of famine. I hope the UN's 12 million for South Sudan is just a start and not the final answer. We need action, not just statements.
This is a man-made catastrophe. The people of Sudan are trapped between war and hunger. I'm especially concerned about the 85,000 people getting water support in North Kordofan - water is as critical as food. The world must not look away. In India, we've faced droughts but nothing on this scale. 🙏
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