A joint statement issued by 31 countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada, emphasized the necessity of addressing the severe deterioration in food security that has reached famine levels in Sudan, amidst other crises and the country's ongoing security decline.
The statement, published by the U.S. Department of State on Tuesday, noted that approximately 19.5 million people in Sudan, or 41% of the population, suffer from acute food insecurity, including 5 million people facing emergency levels of food insecurity.
The statement further indicated that the number of children suffering from severe acute malnutrition may exceed the projected figure of 825,000, and the number of areas experiencing food insecurity, initially estimated at 14, is expected to double.
In this context, the statement called on all 31 countries and the international community to urgently increase funding in response to growing needs, and urged development and financial institutions to adapt their current programs to the food security situation, focusing on the most needy areas.
The statement considered the conflict as the main driver of the hunger crisis in Sudan, displacing millions and causing severe damage to critical infrastructure. The situation is exacerbated by the systematic obstruction of aid and the effects of the El Niño phenomenon, which have led to reduced rainfall and worsened drought in more than half of Sudan.
The statement called on all parties in the country to bear responsibility for alleviating the suffering of the Sudanese people, removing all obstacles hindering the delivery of humanitarian aid, ensuring its full, safe, rapid, and unimpeded access, and protecting humanitarian workers.
It also called on the parties to refrain from attacking civilian infrastructure, including agriculture and food systems, and to enhance civil-military coordination to ensure the safety of humanitarian workers and sites.
Since April 2023, Sudan has been witnessing a war between the Sudanese Army and the Rapid Support Forces, resulting in tens of thousands of deaths and the displacement of approximately 13 million people, amid a continuously worsening humanitarian crisis.
Source: Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA)
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