Report: Large Parts of Sudan at Risk of 'Imminent' Famine

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Facts

• According to the heads of 19 global humanitarian groups, obstacles to providing aid to the Sudanese people will grow 'rapidly and at scale.' In a joint statement, United Nations agencies and nongovernmental organizations have warned that 'imminent' famine could ravage large parts of the nation.¹
• As the war between Sudan's army and the opposing paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has continued for more than a year, a joint statement noted that 18M people are already acutely hungry, including 3.6M children who are acutely malnourished.²
• 15.6% of children under five years old are malnourished In the Central Darfur region, with another 30% in the North Darfur refugee camp lacking proper nourishment. The war has also killed thousands, including an estimated 15K in one West Darfur town.³
• An OCHA spokesperson further noted that aid deliveries have been cut off to parts of the conflict-ridden Khartoum, Darfur, Aj Jazirah, and Kordofan regions 'since mid-December,' impacting 860K people by March and April this year.¹
• The ethnic conflict began in April 2023 over the integration of the RSF into the official army. The UN's special advisor in Sudan said last week that there is also a risk of genocide in Darfur.²
• The UN's standing committee that coordinates emergency relief expressed concern that Sudan's crisis is being neglected — adding that it has received just 16% of the $2.7B it needs to help the African country.⁴

Sources: ¹UN News, ²Reuters.com, ³Arabnews and ⁴Voice of America.

Narratives

• Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by The IRC. Sudan has been on a path toward famine since earlier this year, with over 8M people displaced and 18M going hungry. While neighboring countries have heroically opened their borders to refugees, and the EU gave Egypt $9B for expected arrivals, the world's more wealthy countries must take a stronger stance before Sudan collapses entirely. If this conflict, coupled with what's going on in Gaza, isn't fixed now, countries in the Middle East and Europe will face overwhelming migration.
• Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by World Socialist Web Site. As one of the most agriculturally fertile places in Africa, Sudan should not be facing famine. However, thanks to Western intervention, such as the US-backed secession of what's now called South Sudan to gain control of its oil, Sudan has been turned upside down, with warring factions filling the political vacuum. While the UN repeatedly warns of famine, the Western elites who fund bad-faith operations appear to have no desire to fix the mess they've created.

Predictions