Sudan: the threat of death from starvation looms over millions of people in the trap of war that seems to interest no one for almost a year

ROMA – The continuation of the conflict is worsening the food security situation in Sudan. The analysis ofIntegrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) published last December predicted that between October 2023 and February 2024, approximately 17.7 million people, or 37 percent of the population, would face high levels of acute food insecurity, corresponding to Phase 3 of the IPC classification. Of these, 4.9 million, or 10 percent, have already entered Phase 4, equivalent to the food emergency. From December to today, however, the war that has devastated the country since last April 9th ​​has had a surge in violence with a series of very serious consequences: the lack of security, in fact, does not allow humanitarian workers to intervene and similarly prevents them from update data on the spread of malnutrition because many areas are not accessible. Furthermore, Sudan is entering the so-called lean season, which begins in April, and therefore the danger that food insecurity will worsen further is very high.

The areas most vulnerable to hunger. Khartoum and the Gezira area, as well as Greater Darfur and Greater Kordofan, are particularly exposed to nutritional catastrophe if an escalation of the war continues to block the work of humanitarians and therefore the distribution of life-saving aid. They are places where a high number of internally displaced people are also concentrated, who live in improvised and overcrowded camps without even having essential services. Sudan today has the largest number of internally displaced people in the world, with over 6.5 million people spread across the country. Another 2 million refugees have sought protection in neighboring countries, with Chad at the forefront of reception. But despite the millions of people who managed to escape with at least the hope of finding safety, there are many more thousands trapped in areas where the conflict is becoming increasingly violent, especially in the areas around Khartoum. Many cannot escape because they cannot afford the trip.

The lack of essential goods. Food, water, sanitation and medical care are significantly limited by severe funding shortages, with 45 percent of the Humanitarian Response Plan funded in 2023 and only 5 percent in 2024, according to data released by the United Nations Office for Humanitarian Coordination (OCHA). Fighting in the country’s most important agricultural areas, during the peak of the harvest season, has drastically reduced cereal production, which in 2023 was 46 percent lower than the previous year, with yield reductions of up to 80%. percent in Greater Kordofan and Greater Darfur. In West Darfur the planting season was so compromised that it brought no harvest. In general, food prices have grown by 73 percent compared to the same period last year and are 350 percent higher than the average of the last five years according to data from the World Food Programme he was born in Famine Early Warning Systems Network.

Health care. L’ World Health Organization reports that 70 percent of health facilities in the areas affected by the fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces are out of use because they have been burned or destroyed, with staff fleeing to safer places. This situation does nothing but aggravate the risk of death of children from measles, which is spreading at an alarming rate, from malaria and cholera, all diseases that are preventable and treatable with vaccines and timely medical therapies.

Malnutrition. As of March 2024, a total of 4.86 million people were severely malnourished. Of these, approximately 3.66 million are children under five years of age and 1.2 million are pregnant and breastfeeding women. These numbers have grown by 22 percent compared to a year ago, reports theUnicef.