US AND EU WARN OF FAMINE RISK IN SUDAN

The United States, the European Union and 30 countries warned that Sudan faces a risk of famine in the coming months. In a joint statement released by the US State Department on Monday, the signatories called for urgent action. They said 19.5 million people, about 41% of Sudan’s population, faced high levels of acute food insecurity, including five million at emergency levels. They warned that the number of children with severe acute malnutrition could exceed a projected 825,000 without immediate action. “Sudan is experiencing an alarming deterioration in its food security,” they said.

Sudan’s army has fought the Rapid Support Forces since April 2023, when a dispute over integrating the two forces erupted into clashes in Khartoum. The war has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced more than 13 million. The signatories said fighting had damaged infrastructure and disrupted healthcare, food production and supply chains. They said obstruction of aid had worsened conditions and linked drought across more than half of Sudan to El Niño. In June, the United Nations-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification said 5.1 million people faced severe hunger.

The signatories called on the parties to the conflict to allow “full, safe, rapid, and unimpeded” humanitarian access and protect aid workers. They urged the authorisation of aid routes across front lines and borders, including flights into Darfur to deliver supplies and evacuate aid workers who need medical care. The statement said the number of areas facing food insecurity, initially assessed at 14, could double. It also called for more international funding and asked development and financial institutions to focus their programmes on areas of greatest need.