Watan-At a time when more than 2.4 million citizens in the Gaza Strip are suffering from a terrifying famine as a result of the Israeli war on the territory, serious concerns are raised about a similar scenario in Sudan, which has been experiencing a civil war for 11 months.
The United Nations warned, in a document reported by the “France Presse” agency, that five million Sudanese may face catastrophic food insecurity within a few months due to the ongoing civil war in their country.
Martin Griffiths, the United Nations’ humanitarian affairs coordinator, stated in a memorandum to the Security Council that without urgent humanitarian aid and access to essential products, nearly 5 million Sudanese are already experiencing a food emergency.
He added that these individuals could slide into a catastrophic food insecurity situation in some parts of the country in the coming months.
Griffiths warned in his memo that people classified in Stage Four in West Darfur and Central Darfur are likely to transition to Stage Five, meaning famine.
He cautioned that women, children, and displaced persons in Sudan are particularly at risk, noting that approximately 730,000 children, including 240,000 children in Darfur, are expected to suffer from severe malnutrition.
The UN official pointed out that there has already been an unprecedented increase in the treatment of severe acute malnutrition cases, the most fatal form of malnutrition, in accessible areas, expressing concern about hard-to-reach areas where “almost three-quarters of the 4.7 million children” are suffering from severe malnutrition and pregnant or lactating women need urgent assistance.
Griffiths called for “urgent action” to prevent this disaster from “becoming entrenched,” specifically calling for improved access to humanitarian aid, more funding, and achieving a ceasefire.
How is famine measured and what about Sudan’s situation?
UN agencies measure food insecurity situations worldwide on a scale consisting of five stages, with famine being the most extreme.
Sudan’s Famine Situation
The food situation in Sudan is extremely catastrophic. The food emergency status ranks fourth on this scale, meaning it is only one stage away from the extreme condition.
According to the latest UN classification of food security in Sudan, the number of people experiencing a food emergency (Stage Four) in this country is estimated at about 4.9 million, with more than 300,000 living in Central Darfur and over 400,000 others in West Darfur.
So far, no one in Sudan has been classified in Stage Five, meaning “famine.”
The food situation in Sudan is extremely dangerous, with nearly 18 million Sudanese suffering from severe food insecurity (Stage 3 and above), a “record” number during the harvesting period and an increase of 10 million compared to the same period last year.
World’s Largest Hunger Crisis Approaching Sudan
It is worth noting that at the beginning of March, the World Food Programme warned that war could lead to the world’s largest hunger crisis in a country experiencing the largest displacement crisis in the world.
Eighteen million people across Sudan are suffering from severe food insecurity, including five million who have reached the last stage before famine, and they can barely receive assistance from humanitarian workers as they face movement restrictions and significant funding shortages, according to the World Food Programme.