Areas near Sudan’s Khartoum at risk of famine, says UN agency | Sudan war News

Serious levels of “hunger, destiny and despair” found in the city of Jabal Awliya, south of Khartoum.

The risk of famine in Sudan has extended near the capital Khartoum, the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) warned while the country’s brutal civil war is imposed on its third year.

The agency discovered “serious” hunger levels in the city of Jabal Awliya, about 40 km (25 miles) south of Khartoum, said Pam Sudan representative Laurent Bukera.

Speaking on his return from a visit to the state of Khartoum, Bukera described a “generalized destruction” in the city and in other regions of Khartoum, and called for an urgent international action to prevent famine.

“The needs are immense,” said Bukera of the Sudan Port, describing “a limited access to water, health care and electricity”, as well as an epidemic of cholera.

“Several areas in the south of the city are at high risk of famine,” he added. “The international community must now act – by accelerating funding to stop famine in the hardest affected areas and to invest in the resumption of Sudan.”

PAM, which indicates that it helps four million people across the country had to reduce food rations in areas at risk of famine to 70% due to a major funding deficit.

“Meeting critical basic needs”

The Sudanese armed forces aligned by the government (SAF) and the paramilitary support forces (RSF) have been locked in a battle for power since April 2023. The army took control of Khartoum in March and declared the city “completely free from rebels“At the end of May.

Now that WFP has access to the region and is able to make regular aid deliveries, the agency said it was doing everything it could to bring the local population back on the edge of famine.

Bukera said that “the level of hunger, destiny and despair” found in Jabal Awliya was “severe and essentially confirmed the risk of famine”.

War has killed tens of thousands people and created the greatest Hunger and travel crises. More than four million fled the country and some 10.5 million is moved internally, according to the United Nations estimates.

Bukera said that with people who should return to highly damaged areas like Khartoum, the pressure on already overloaded resources would intensify.

“WFP is deeply worried and meeting basic needs – especially food – is critical and urgent,” he said.

Famine has already been declared in five Sudan regions, including three travel camps near El-Fasher in the Southwest.

He was almost confirmed in El-Fasher himself, where the aid agencies claim that a lack of access to the data prevented an official declaration of famine.

Nearly 25 million people are suffering from disastrous food insecurity.