The UN warns: Famine disaster threatens to engulf the entire region

There is now famine in Sudan, states a UN-affiliated panel. It is the first time in seven years that the panel has stated famine. The war in Sudan is described as the world's largest humanitarian disaster and risks "engulfing the entire region".

» Published:

The UN warns: Famine disaster threatens to engulf the entire region
Photo: AP/TT

Share this article

The civil war in Sudan has led to famine now prevailing in the large refugee camp Zamzam with 500,000 people outside el-Fasher in Darfur.

The 16-month-long civil war and restrictions on aid deliveries were the cause, stated the Famine Review Committee (FRC) – a UN-affiliated expert panel.

The panel also stated that the humanitarian disaster risks getting out of control. It could become both larger and deadlier than the last major famine 13 years ago, warn experts.

10 million on the run

The humanitarian disaster in Sudan threatens to engulf the entire region, warned UNHCR, the UN's refugee agency on Friday.

Displaced women, children, and men are dying of hunger, malnutrition, and diseases, said Mamadou Dian Balde, UNHCR's regional refugee coordinator for the situation in Sudan.

With horrific violations of human rights, the world's most acute humanitarian disaster is growing and deepening every day and threatens to engulf the entire region.

The war – a power struggle between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) – has forced 10 million people from their homes.

Happened twice before

While most of the world was focused on the conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza and in the Middle East, the war in Sudan quickly grew into the world's largest humanitarian crisis. Large parts of the country are affected by acute hunger.

The UN-affiliated expert panel FRC uses a scientific scale to determine the degree of famine prevailing in a population or area.

The panel has only confirmed such a state at two previous occasions since its formation 20 years ago: in South Sudan in 2017 and in Somalia in 2011.

The last major famine, in Somalia, is estimated to have killed a quarter of a million people in 2011, half of whom were children under five years old.

Correction: In an earlier version, the number of years since the UN panel confirmed famine was incorrectly stated.

Moa Persson/TT

Facts: The war in Sudan

TTTT

Fighting in Sudan broke out in April last year and is between arch-rivals General Abd al-Fattah al-Burhan and his former deputy, Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, who is the leader of the militia Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

RSF was formed in 2013 from the janjawid militias – armed groups that Sudan's former dictator Omar al-Bashir had sent out to spread terror and quell the uprising in conflict-ridden Darfur in western Sudan in the early 2000s.

Both parties have been accused of war crimes.

Sources: AFP and AP

Tags

Author

TTT
By TTEnglish edition by Sweden Herald, adapted for local and international readers

More news

Princess Märtha Louise Calls Netflix Documentary Problematic

Princess Märtha Louise Calls Netflix Documentary Problematic

UN Investigator Alleges Genocide by Israel in Gaza Strip

UN Investigator Alleges Genocide by Israel in Gaza Strip

Ukrainian Children Taken to Over 210 Locations in Russia and Occupied Areas

Ukrainian Children Taken to Over 210 Locations in Russia and Occupied Areas

Trump and Zelenskyj Likely to Meet in New York Next Week

Trump and Zelenskyj Likely to Meet in New York Next Week

Trump Sues New York Times for $15 Billion in Defamation Case

Trump Sues New York Times for $15 Billion in Defamation Case

Trump Urges Orbán to Stop Russian Oil Imports Amid EU Sanctions Talks

Trump Urges Orbán to Stop Russian Oil Imports Amid EU Sanctions Talks

Over 50 Killed in Gang Attacks North of Haiti's Capital

Over 50 Killed in Gang Attacks North of Haiti's Capital

Russian Attacks in Ukraine Leave Two Dead and Nine Injured

Russian Attacks in Ukraine Leave Two Dead and Nine Injured

Nigerian Chef Hilda Baci Sets World Record with Jollof Rice

Nigerian Chef Hilda Baci Sets World Record with Jollof Rice

Israel Advances Major Offensive in Gaza City

Israel Advances Major Offensive in Gaza City

White House Vows Action Against Left-Wing Extremism After Kirk's Death

White House Vows Action Against Left-Wing Extremism After Kirk's Death

US Dismisses Israeli Attacks on Qatar Amid Tensions

US Dismisses Israeli Attacks on Qatar Amid Tensions

Trump Deploys National Guard to Memphis Amid Crime Concerns

Trump Deploys National Guard to Memphis Amid Crime Concerns

Trump Announces US Attack on Venezuela Narcotics Boat

Trump Announces US Attack on Venezuela Narcotics Boat

UN Reports Over 250 Journalists Killed in Gaza Conflict

UN Reports Over 250 Journalists Killed in Gaza Conflict

Drone Incident Over Polish Presidential Palace Leads to Arrests

Drone Incident Over Polish Presidential Palace Leads to Arrests

British Fighter Jets Join NATO Air Defense in Poland

British Fighter Jets Join NATO Air Defense in Poland

Spain Criticizes Israel Amid Protests and Government Actions

Spain Criticizes Israel Amid Protests and Government Actions

Former Soldier Faces Trial for 1972 Bloody Sunday Killings

Former Soldier Faces Trial for 1972 Bloody Sunday Killings

Channel 4 to Air Special on Trump's False Claims During UK Visit

Channel 4 to Air Special on Trump's False Claims During UK Visit