The country’s latest food security assessment from the World Food Program (WFP) shows the worst levels of hunger on record during the harvest season (October to February), which is typically a time when more food is available.
If there is no significant increase in aid by the time the lean season arrives next May, conflict hotspots such as the capital Khartoum, the Darfurs and the Kordofans could enter “catastrophic hunger”, also known as Phase 5 of Integrated Food Security . Stage classification (IPC), the agency added – the most extreme stage.
Families ‘without options’
“Even now [families] are struggling to put food on the table,” Leni Kinzli, WFP spokesperson in Sudan, told reporters in New York via video link from Nairobi.
“But when the lean season comes in May and food supplies run out, they will run out of options unless WFP can come through and provide regular assistance,” she said.
The UN agency has issued an urgent appeal to the warring sides to take a humanitarian pause and help provide unhindered access to save the lives of people trapped in active fighting.
Deepening the hunger crisis
Sudan, once described as the potential breadbasket of East Africa, is facing a deepening hunger crisis as the conflict approaches its eighth month.
Clashes broke out in April between the rival Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), which falls under the military government, and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), with the leaders of each group battling for overall control.
In addition to its impact on food security, the violence also shattered the country’s healthcare system, displacing millions within the country and causing refugees to flee its borders.
Nearly 18 million people in Sudan face acute hunger (IPC3+) – more than double the number suffering during the same period a year ago.
This figure is also higher than the initial forecast of 15 million people living with acute hunger made in the previous estimate in August.
Currently, nearly five million people are in a food insecurity emergency (IPC4), with more than three-quarters confined to areas where humanitarian access is intermittent and in some cases impossible due to ongoing fighting.
“The rate at which hunger has increased over the past year is alarming. More and more people are struggling to eat a simple meal a day, and unless things change there is a very real risk that they will not even be able to do that,” said Eddie Rowe, WFP Country Director in Sudan.