Sudan Exits Global Hunger Monitoring System

Facts

• The Sudanese government has suspended its participation in the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification system, claiming the organization issues "unreliable reports that undermine Sudan's sovereignty and dignity."^[1]
• Sudan's decision follows reports that the government previously hindered the monitoring agency's work and delayed recognizing famine conditions in places where impoverished residents allegedly consumed tree leaves to survive.^[2][3]
• The country's withdrawal from the global hunger-monitoring system comes on the eve of a report from the agency that confirmed famine conditions in five areas of Sudan, including camps for internally displaced people in North Darfur.^[4][5]
• In the report published Tuesday, the agency said approximately 24.6M Sudanese, representing half of Sudan's population, urgently require food assistance through May 2025 — an increase from 21.1M projected in June.^[6][7]
• Famine conditions are projected to spread to five additional areas in North Darfur by May 2025, including Um Kadadah, Melit, El Fasher, At Tawisha, and Al Lait in North Darfur.^[8]
• The ongoing civil war between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces has displaced over 14M people and severely disrupted food production and trade. Only 10% of people in agency-reviewed areas reportedly received food assistance in the last three months.^[5][7][9]

Sources: ^[1]RFI, ^[2]The Times of India, ^[3]Reuters (a), ^[4]Reuters (b), ^[5]Al Jazeera, ^[6]IFPRI, ^[7]Reuters (c), ^[8]UNICEF and ^[9]Human Rights Watch.

Narratives

• Narrative A, as provided by Africa News and Al Jazeera. The government's withdrawal from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification system is a defensive measure to protect national sovereignty and dignity, as the monitoring system lacks updated malnutrition data and proper crop productivity assessments from the successful summer growing season. Instead of acting as a critical early-warning system to address food emergencies in Sudan, the Western-funded organization has been issuing unreliable reports to fulfill the West's propaganda.
• Narrative B, as provided by The Sudan Times and The Medialine. The suspension of Integrated Food Security Phase Classification participation is a deliberate attempt to obstruct humanitarian efforts and downplay the severity of the crisis, as evidenced by previous delays in famine determination and restrictions on aid worker visas, particularly in hard-hit regions like Darfur. Withdrawing from the agency will not change the grim reality. It removes a critical tool for the international community to assess and respond accurately to the serious hunger crises.