WHO: Sudan Facing Food Crisis and Confirmed Famine in Parts of the Country

SadaNews - The Director-General of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, stated that "Sudan is facing a food crisis and confirmed famine in parts of the country." Ghebreyesus explained in a post on the "X" platform that the situation is worsening particularly in the North Darfur region, where the city of El Fasher has been under siege for more than 500 days.

Ghebreyesus called for the immediate and safe opening of humanitarian aid access to El Fasher without obstacles, to meet the growing health needs and save lives. This comes while El Fasher continues to witness battles between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces, where the Sudanese Doctors Network (independent) reported on Tuesday the death of 18 civilians and the injury of more than 100 others due to artillery shelling by the "Rapid Support Forces."

Community committees and local authorities in El Fasher have routinely accused the Rapid Support Forces of responsibility for the artillery shelling and repeated attacks on the city, which has been under siege since May 10, 2024, despite international warnings about the dangers of the fighting in the city as it is the center for humanitarian operations for the five Darfur states.

A few days ago, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Sudan (OCHA) mentioned in a post on the "X" platform that Sudan is facing the largest food crisis in the world.

Since mid-April 2023, the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces have been engaged in a war that has resulted in the deaths of more than 20,000 people and the displacement and refugee situation of nearly 15 million others, according to the United Nations and local authorities. Meanwhile, a study conducted by American universities estimated the death toll to be around 130,000.

Source: Al Jazeera + Anadolu