18 million Sudanese face the risk of famine (French)
A United Nations official warned yesterday, Wednesday, that Sudan, where the specter of famine looms after nearly a year of war, is facing “one of the worst humanitarian disasters in recent memory,” denouncing the inaction of the international community.
“In all respects, the scale of humanitarian needs, the number of displaced people and those threatened by hunger, Sudan is witnessing one of the worst humanitarian disasters in recent memory,” Edem and Surno, on behalf of UN Humanitarian Coordinator Martin Griffiths, said before the Security Council.
She denounced, saying, "A human mockery is taking place in Sudan behind a curtain of international neglect and inaction. Simply put, we are failing the Sudanese people," speaking of the "despair" that the population is experiencing.
Since April 15, 2023, the fighting between the army led by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the Rapid Support Forces led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti) has led to the deaths of thousands of Sudanese and the displacement of about 8 million others.
In early March, the UN Security Council called for an “immediate” ceasefire in Sudan during the month of Ramadan and to allow unimpeded access to humanitarian aid.
“Since then, I am sorry to say, there has been no significant progress on the ground,” Wesorno added.
About 18 million Sudanese face the risk of famine, an increase of 10 million people compared to the same period last year, and 730,000 children suffer from acute malnutrition.
Wesorno confirmed that malnutrition "is already killing children," noting that "our partners in the humanitarian field expect the death of about 222,000 children due to malnutrition in the coming weeks or months."
It also indicated that there is a risk of vulnerable children dying from preventable diseases, while more than 70% of health facilities are out of service.
Source: French