755,000 People At Risk of Famine in Sudan — Report
Fighting in Sudan has created a hunger catastrophe at a scale not seen since the Darfur conflict in the early 2000s, senior United Nations officials have said.
International experts warned in a report at the end of June that 755,000 people are facing famine in the coming months, as rival generals continue to fight.
The report said that 8.5 million people are facing extreme food shortages after 14 months of conflict in Sudan and that hunger has spread to the capital Khartoum.
"It is truly heartbreaking," said John Makoni, from World Vision, one of the largest aid groups working in Sudan.
The northeastern African country descended into chaos in April last year. That's when tensions between the country's military and a paramilitary group known as the Rapid Support Forces, exploded into open fighting in Khartoum and elsewhere in the country.
More than 14,000 people have been killed and 33,000 have been wounded during the conflict, according to the UN, but human rights workers say the numbers could be much higher.
The conflict has created the world's largest displacement crisis with more than 11 million people forced to leave their homes. Human rights experts working for the UN said that both sides have used food and starvation as a war weapon.
Overall, experts say that 25.6 million people, more than half of the country's 47 million population, face "crisis or worse conditions" between June and September.
The current crisis — unlike the Darfur conflict in the early 2000s — impacts the whole country, and threatens to affect the entire region, said Cindy McCain, head of the World Food Program.
The conflict has wrecked the country and created a crisis that will impact its future for generations. At least 17 million children are out of school, since over 90% of the country's schools are closed because of the war, said Catherine Russell from UNICEF.
"It's important for the international community to realize that we have to get more resources to Sudan," she said.
