Rhino: Agencies – A senior United Nations official in the African country says the situation in Sudan is “shocking” and that people in the capital Khartoum are facing “absolutely devastating” conditions.
“Large parts of the city are devastated,” said Samantha Chatterjee, emergency coordinator for the UN World Food Program (WFP) in Sudan after a visit to Khartoum. “The levels of hunger and desperation are very high.
Sudan is currently the only country in the world where famine has been officially confirmed. In March, the WFP was able to reach four million people across Sudan, the highest number since the conflict erupted more than two years ago, Ms. Chataraj said.
“This was an important step in getting food to people who have been cut off from aid for a long time,” she said.
However, she added, “the need is much greater. With 27 areas either in famine or at risk of famine, the recent progress still only covers a small fraction of what is needed to stop the crisis.”
“Reports from the field are shocking,” said Ms. Chataraj, explaining that WFP is currently mobilizing aid to reach people wherever they have fled – across Darfur and the Northern State.
Ahead of the rainy season set to begin in June, which will make many roads across Darfur impractical, WFP has only a few weeks to pre-stock food near populations in need, Ms. Chattaraj said.
In preparation, WFP is setting up mobile warehouses across Darfur to safely store food supplies and keep operations running even during rains.
WFP is urgently calling for more funding and safe access to areas in need so that it can continue its work in what is now the world’s largest humanitarian crisis.
