A woman who fled El Fasher in Darfur carries aid in a displacement camp in Tawila.
This article is published in association with United Nations.
More than 21 million people in Sudan, 45 per cent of the population, are not getting enough to eat as the war between rival militaries continues, according to the World Food Programme (WFP).
UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric provided the update during the regular briefing to journalists in New York on Thursday.
The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and paramilitary group the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have been battling for power since April 2023, creating one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.
‘Unimaginable violence’ in El Fasher
Violence has intensified in recent weeks following the RSF’s takeover of El Fasher, capital of North Darfur state, after a siege that lasted more than a year.
WFP Sudan tweeted that as families continue to flee the city, teams remain on the ground providing immediate assistance.
“We’re quickly delivering emergency food and nutrition supplies for hundreds of thousands who are escaping unimaginable violence and hunger,” it said.
Access makes the difference
Mr. Dujarric recalled that famine has been confirmed in El Fasher and in Kadugli, capital of South Kordofan state, both of which are largely cut off from aid.
“However, in nine other locations where WFP has maintained consistent access, famine-like conditions have been reversed thanks to sustained assistance,” he said.
“WFP stresses that where conflict has eased and humanitarian operations have expanded, hunger has declined, showing that consistent access is the difference between starvation and actual recovery.”
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Millions more can be reached
The UN agency currently reaches over four million people in Sudan each month with emergency food, cash and nutrition support in previously hard-to-reach areas across four states: Darfur, Kordofan, Khartoum and Al Jazira.
“With more resources, WFP could double its reach to eight million people monthly and further reduce the risk of famine spreading into the hardest-hit areas,” he said.
“But without additional support, this fragile progress could quickly be undone.”
Mr. Dujarric urged the international community “to continue stepping up, with the support and funding needed to help people in Sudan who so desperately need help.”
Families ‘running out of time’
Separately, the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, issued an urgent appeal on Thursday for Sudanese civilians who “are now running out of time” as communities are cut off from aid.
The agency highlighted the plight of families who have fled fighting and mass reported atrocities in El Fasher.
“Children are hungry, parents are desperate…They need protection, safety and humanitarian access,” UNHCR said in a tweet.
‘The hostilities must stop’: Guterres
It came a day after the UN Secretary-General expressed grave concern over reports of mass atrocities in El Fasher and worsening violence in the Kordofans.
António Guterres was speaking to reporters following the annual joint conference between the UN and the African Union (AU), held in New York on Wednesday.
“The flow of weapons and fighters from external parties must be cut off. The flow of humanitarian aid must be able to quickly reach civilians in need. The hostilities must stop,” he said.
The Secretary-General called on the warring sides to engage with his Personal Envoy for Sudan “and take swift, tangible steps toward a negotiated settlement.”
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