Sudan experiencing unprecedented hunger, food security experts say

United Nations — A new U.N.-backed report says hunger in war-torn Sudan is at unprecedented levels, with more than 25 million people experiencing emergency levels of hunger, 755,000 in catastrophic conditions, and the risk of famine in several regions.

“WFP’s team in Sudan is working day and night in perilous conditions to deliver lifesaving assistance, yet these numbers confirm that time is fast running out to prevent famine,” Cindy McCain, executive director of the World Food Program, said in a statement Thursday. “For each person we have reached this year, another eight desperately need help.”

McCain said humanitarians urgently need more funding and also for access to be massively expanded so they can scale-up relief operations.

Food security experts gathered the data between April 21 and June 13. Their latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, or IPC, report says Sudan is facing the worst levels of acute food insecurity ever recorded by the IPC in the country. The IPC was established in 2004.

The experts concluded that more than half of the population — 25.6 million people — are projected to experience crisis levels of hunger or worse during the lean season, which runs from now through September.

In 10 of Sudan’s 18 states, 755,000 people are facing IPC 5 – or catastrophe levels. That includes all five states comprising Greater Darfur, South and North Kordofan, Blue Nile, Al Jazirah, and Khartoum states.

The food experts warned that if the conflict escalates further, there is a risk of famine in 14 areas, including Greater Darfur, Greater Kordofan, Al Jazirah states and some hotspots in the capital, Khartoum.

The IPC says its latest findings “mark a stark and rapid deterioration” of the food security situation compared to their last report in December. The report said 17.7 million people were facing acute hunger, including nearly 5 million people in emergency levels of hunger. Now, the IPC says that emergency level has risen to a projected 8.5 million people.

Children are at particular risk.

"Hunger and malnutrition are spreading at alarming rates, and without concerted international action and funding, there is a very real danger the situation will spiral out of all control,” Catherine Russell, executive director of the U.N. children’s agency, UNICEF, said in a statement.

“There is no time to lose,” she said. “Any delay in unfettered access to vulnerable populations will be measured in the loss of children's lives."

A power struggle between the head of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and the head of the Sudanese Armed Forces for the last 14 months has created a massive humanitarian crisis. More than 6 million people have been internally displaced, on top of the nearly 4 million who were displaced before the current conflict. Another 2 million have fled to neighboring countries, including Chad, South Sudan, Egypt and Ethiopia.

The WFP says it has reached more than 3 million displaced and vulnerable people in Sudan since January, and it is scaling up to reach 5 million more by the end of this year. The food agency also is working to expand access and open new humanitarian routes, from neighboring countries and across conflict front lines.

Additionally, the Food and Agriculture Organization is working to assist the country’s farmers and pastoralists with seeds, animal vaccinations and other critical supplies to restore domestic food production.

While UNICEF is scaling up nutritional screening, malnutrition therapies and vaccinations, it also is distributing clean drinking water to upwards of 5 million people, as part of a multi-pronged effort to prevent famine and disease.