Rhino: Agencies – The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) has warned that more than two-thirds of displaced families in eastern Sudan cannot afford enough food, calling for international action to help these communities on the brink of collapse.

The council said in a report: “More than 8,600 households in six states in eastern Sudan, 70 percent of displaced households, and more than 50 percent of host families in eastern Sudan are unable to provide enough food due to rising prices and loss of income.

The overwhelming majority of host households are IDPs who reported that they have not received any food assistance in the past six months, the report said.

Will Carter, director of the Norwegian Refugee Council in Sudan, said in a statement: “The towns and villages of eastern Sudan were already fragile” before the influx of displaced people.

The displaced and their host communities are now “on the brink of collapse” and the scale of needs is “beyond what the current humanitarian response can handle without urgent support.”

The NRC warned that international action is needed to “intensify humanitarian assistance, rehabilitate critical infrastructure and invest in livelihoods to avoid further destabilization.”

Carter said: “The world must stand by all those affected by this terrible war.”