Half of Sudan’s population, or 24.6 million people, is facing high levels of acute food insecurity, Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said on February 3 in its latest plea for immediate action in the country.
As per the Middle East Eye, this figure also includes 8.5 million people at risk of an “emergency or famine-like situation”, according to data gathered from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC)’s latest report.
“Despite this new wake-up call, robust humanitarian and diplomatic mobilisation to act on aid deliveries has fallen far short of the needs,” Stephane Doyon, MSF operations manager, said.
“To provide only those in the most extreme situation with monthly food rations, 2,500 aid trucks per month would be required, whereas only about 1,150 crossed into Darfur between August and December.”
According to MSF, Sudan’s warring sides, the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary (RSF), have both obstructed the distribution of aid, while the “neglectful inertia” of the United Nations and the aid system in Darfur has also exacerbated the conflict-driven malnutrition crisis.
The organisation said immediate action is needed to prevent “even more avoidable deaths from malnutrition” in the country.
Since April 2023, Sudan has been engulfed in a civil war that has killed tens of thousands of people and caused what leading humanitarian organisations have called the largest internal displacement crisis in the world, with over 10 million people having fled their homes.
[Read more on Radiancenews.com]