In its latest update on humanitarian operations in Sudan, the United Nations World Food Program warned that the country continues to face the world’s worst hunger crisis, at a time when a severe funding shortfall threatens the ability of humanitarian organizations to continue relief operations amid ongoing war and a worsening humanitarian situation across the country.
The program stated that some 19.5 million people in Sudan continue to suffer from severe food insecurity, amid ongoing conflict, deteriorating economic conditions, disrupted agricultural production, and rising prices of basic commodities.
It noted that some 825,000 children are at risk of acute malnutrition, warning that the ongoing shortage of food and health services threatens to drive up mortality rates, particularly among children, pregnant women, and breastfeeding mothers.
The program confirmed that it has managed to reach about 80 percent of the areas at risk of famine, despite security and logistical challenges, but stressed that humanitarian needs still far exceed available resources.
It also explained that its operations inside Sudan urgently require $579 million to cover humanitarian needs through October, warning that the current funding gap has already begun to affect the volume of food aid provided to those in need, as it has been forced to scale back some of its programs due to limited resources.
He added that the war has not only led to the displacement of millions of Sudanese and disrupted their livelihoods but has also caused disruptions in supply chains and driven up the prices of fuel, fertilizers, and food, while security tensions in the Red Sea have increased transportation and trade costs, which has directly affected commodity prices within Sudan.
The program warned that ongoing fighting continues to hinder the delivery of humanitarian aid to a number of areas, emphasizing that millions of civilians remain entirely dependent on food aid to survive.
The World Food Program renewed its call on the international community to urgently increase funding and ensure unimpeded access to humanitarian aid for all those in need, warning that any further decline in funding could lead to a widening of hunger and malnutrition in one of the worst humanitarian crises the world is witnessing today.
This warning comes as the war in Sudan enters its 40th month, amid ongoing mass displacement, economic collapse, and declining agricultural production, at a time when the gap between humanitarian needs and the level of international funding is widening, threatening to exacerbate the hunger crisis in the coming months.
