UN Official: Sudan Faces Unprecedented Humanitarian Crisis Amid Ongoing Conflict
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United Nations, Jan 7 (NationPress) Sudan continues to endure a humanitarian crisis of unprecedented scale after 20 months of conflict, a senior United Nations official stated, emphasizing the need for increased international assistance and unrestricted humanitarian access.
Armed conflicts are still having a devastating effect on civilians, including humanitarian personnel, throughout the nation, despite numerous appeals for a halt to hostilities, noted Edem Wosornu, director of Operations and Advocacy at the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), during a briefing to the UN Security Council on Monday.
The situation in and around El Fasher in North Darfur is particularly dire, she remarked.
According to OCHA's statistics, over 11.5 million individuals are believed to be internally displaced, with nearly 8.8 million having been displaced since April 2023. Additionally, over 3.2 million others have sought refuge in neighboring nations, as reported by Xinhua news agency.
With escalating violence and tighter access to critical hunger zones, the unfortunate reality is that the further spread of starvation and hunger is the most probable outcome, Wosornu cautioned.
The latest assessment from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) reveals that famine conditions are currently present in five regions of Sudan. It also forecasts that five more areas in North Darfur will be affected by mid-2025, with a potential famine risk in 17 additional locations.
Wosornu characterized the ongoing disaster as a man-made crisis, stressing that Sudan is presently the only country globally where famine has been officially confirmed.
She highlighted that the effects are not uniformly felt across the Sudanese populace, with women and girls, children, and the elderly facing disproportionately high risks of extreme hunger.
The unprecedented scale of the needs in Sudan necessitates an extraordinary mobilization of international support, Wosornu asserted, appealing for $4.2 billion as part of the 2025 Sudan Humanitarian needs and response plan to assist nearly 21 million people, in addition to $1.8 billion required for refugees in neighboring countries.
Beth Bechdol, deputy director-general of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), stated during the briefing that conflict and displacement are the primary causes of food insecurity, aggravated by limited humanitarian access.
Almost 90 percent of displaced households across the nation are currently unable to afford food.
She urged member states to prioritize funding and guarantee immediate and unimpeded humanitarian access.
