Spectrum of Hunger and War in Sudan. By Counselor Ismail Haggana

Spectrum of Hunger and War in Sudan.
By Counselor Ismail Haggana.

April 13, 2024

The conflict in Sudan has precipitated a humanitarian crisis of staggering and grave proportions, casting a long shadow over Sudan, particularly the regions of Kordofan and Darfur. This crisis, marked by widespread hunger and the collapse of societal norms, is not just a local issue but a powerful reminder of the responsibilities of the international and local community. In light of this dire and deplorable situation that is worsening day by day, the abducted Sudanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has taken the irresponsible decision to restrict and prevent the entry of humanitarian aid from Chad to western Sudan, a move that threatens to add another layer to the devastating death toll that has affected the family already crushed by the war in the country. While WFP’s warnings reverberate around the world, the situation in Sudan requires urgent attention to alleviate immediate human suffering and as a test of our collective moral and legal obligations. This article delves deeper into the crisis and examines the multifaceted challenges facing the delivery of humanitarian assistance amid political barriers and the dire consequences of inaction. A comprehensive analysis emphasizes the need for a coordinated global response, legal accountability, and prioritizing human dignity over political agendas. By weaving the threads of conflict, hunger, international law, and the irresponsible decisions of the Sudanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, we aim to shed light on the plight of Sudan and the Sudanese, who have been afflicted by God by a people who have neither an iota of manhood nor a grain of mercy. Yet, we look forward to the way forward to alleviate this profound human tragedy, whatever the difficulties and challenges.
The hunger that has come to inhabit the camps of the displaced and the empty stomachs in them, saturated with pain and fear in Sudan, especially the areas mired in the clutches of relentless conflict, has not only torn the fabric of society but has also led to a severe humanitarian crisis of unimaginable dimensions, in light of the terrible silence of the pretenders of patriotism and humanity in Sudan, and even incites to kill social incubators for rapid support in a terrible contradiction in the face of the moral position of rejecting injustice. At the heart of this crisis lies the hunger epidemic that threatens to ravage the country, with the Director of the World Food Programme in Sudan, Ed Rowe, sounding the alarm about the precarious situation facing the Sudanese population. Ed Rowe told reporters in Brussels that less than 5 percent of Sudanese can afford a full meal a day, 95 percent are threatened by hunger and poverty, including “nearly 5 million on the brink of disaster”, the second worst emergency classification adopted by the World Food Programme after famine. He classified a situation as one step separating us from famine. Sudan, with the most fertile land in the region, which was once able to stave off starvation, is now abandoned or also involved in conflict, exacerbating the hunger crisis in light of the challenges of insecurity and safety.
The United Nations estimates that more than half of Sudan’s population of more than 48 million people now need urgent humanitarian assistance, with 18 million facing acute food insecurity. The ongoing war, which erupted on 15 April between the army and the RSF, has killed thousands of civilians and forced some 8 million people, half of them children, to flee their homes. WFP East Africa regional director Michael Dunford said a significant problem was “the availability of data to confirm whether the thresholds required to declare famine have been reached.” This shocking statement is capable of portraying the grave humanitarian situation that the country has reached and the suffering of citizens, significantly the displaced. Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) announced that “every two hours, a child dies in the Zamzam camp for displaced people in North Darfur.” The spokesman for the General Coordination of IDP and Refugee Camps in the Sudanese Darfur region, Adam Rijal, said in a statement to Al Jazeera that “the displaced in the Kalma camp are threatened with starvation, due to lack of food.” Dabanga quoted the head of the Association of Displaced Women in South Darfur, Awatif Abdul Rahman Yusuf, who revealed “32 deaths among the residents of the Balil camp for southern refugees due to hunger and malnutrition among children.” “They visited the refugee camp in the past few days and saw a great tragedy in it because of the lack of food for the refugees,” Awatef told Radio Dabanga, adding that the refugees told us that they have 13 children who died of malnutrition, in addition to 19 other men and women.
Michael Dunford, WFP’s Regional Director for East Africa, highlighted the regional impact of the conflict, noting that “it has caused the world’s largest displacement crisis” with no signs of abating. With no glimmer of hope for near peace, hearts are still looking to Jeddah after the failure of Manama, which was close to making a significant breakthrough had it not been for the intervention of the Muslim Brotherhood and the cessation of any development in favor of the peace process and the cessation of the war. Families fleeing South Sudan or Chad continue to arrive hungry and resource-limited, joining those already suffering from extreme hunger and low rations. Malnutrition rates among children, especially those living in makeshift transit camps, are alarming, underscoring the urgent need for a solution, unfettered humanitarian access and funding as soon as possible.
The crisis has spread to Chad, where more than 553,000 Sudanese, mainly from Darfur, have taken refuge. Malnutrition rates in refugee camps in Chad are alarmingly high, well above the emergency threshold set by the World Health Organization. The situation is further exacerbated by WFP’s funding gap of around US$300 million for the next six months, threatening to turn the displacement crisis into a full-blown hunger disaster as the lean season approaches.
At a time when the displaced face the risk of starvation, in addition to the interruption of essential water and health services since the outbreak of the war on April 15, which foreshadows a humanitarian catastrophe that is slowly unfolding in the camps within the next two weeks if food aid and medicines do not arrive to save the displaced and host communities.
While humanitarian and human rights organizations have been warning for months that the specter of famine has become almost a reality waiting for the announcement, as a result of the war, the obstruction of humanitarian aid, and the severe lack of funding, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Port Sudan surprises the international and humanitarian community and the crushed citizen with the decision to stop the entry of humanitarian aid through Chad, and indifference to the suffering of the citizen who is gasping for help, and the organizations are working to reduce the risks, issuing a decision to stop the entry of humanitarian aid, which makes matters worse. It pays no attention to the dire situation of millions of Sudanese, stranded between displacement camps and in host community are at risk of dying of hunger and disease. It has consistently impeded the delivery of aid and the ability to determine the scale of the disaster.
More than 300 days after the start of the war, which it promised it would resolve within two weeks, Lieutenant General Yasser al-Atta said. The State Department has been using alleged security suspicions and concerns and other flimsy reasons as a pretext to restrict and deny humanitarian access and to obstruct efforts by humanitarian organizations to rescue affected people in all areas under the control of the RSF, which considers this decision dangerous. Such irresponsible actions will cause significant harm to vulnerable populations and violate international humanitarian and human rights law.

Source, Al-Hadaf, Translated and edited by Ibrahim Ebeid. February 15, 2024