A dire warning has been issued by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), a global authority on food security backed by the United Nations, urging immediate action to prevent a catastrophic hunger crisis in Sudan.
Initially slated to release an update to its December analysis, which revealed nearly five million people teetering on the brink of famine, the IPC was compelled to issue the alert on Friday due to the ongoing war, which has hindered data collection.
Expressing profound concern over the worsening situation, the IPC emphasized the urgent need for intervention to avert famine and mitigate the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Sudan.
Since the eruption of war on April 15, 2023, between the Sudanese army (SAF) and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), the UN estimates that half of Sudan’s population, approximately 25 million people, require assistance, with eight million displaced from their homes.
Highlighting the criticality of the situation, the IPC underscored that without an immediate halt to hostilities and significant humanitarian intervention, regions such as Khartoum, Gezira States, Greater Darfur, and Greater Kordofan face the risk of plunging into severe food insecurity and malnutrition during the upcoming lean season from April to May 2024.
The UN Security Council has recently called for an immediate cessation of hostilities, with the United States signaling its intent to advocate for urgent action to facilitate aid delivery to starving populations in Sudan, potentially through cross-border operations from Chad.
According to the IPC’s estimates, nearly five million individuals are acutely malnourished, including 3.6 million children under the age of five and 1.2 million pregnant and lactating women. Furthermore, cereal production has plummeted by 46 percent compared to the previous year, attributed to conflict-induced disruptions in primary crop production areas during the peak harvest season, leading to a staggering 73 percent increase in food prices in markets compared to the same period last year.
