Anjali Sharma
GG News Bureau
UNITED NATIONS, 7th June. World Food Programme reported on Thursday that escalating hunger and violence in Sudan are reached unprecedented levels as it teeters on the verge of becoming the world’s largest hunger crisis and faces increasingly violent attacks by paramilitary groups.
WFP stressed that as the rival militaries continue fighting, the country’s plight has been overlooked by much of the international community.
“As global leaders focus elsewhere, it is not receiving the necessary attention and support to avert a nightmare scenario for the people of Sudan. The world cannot claim it doesn’t know how bad the situation is in Sudan or that urgent action is needed,” said Mr. Dunford.
WFP has announced it will urgently expand efforts to provide life-saving food and nutrition assistance. Currently, 18 million people are acutely food insecure in Sudan, a figure which has nearly tripled since 2019. Nearly five million are suffering emergency levels of hunger.
“Sudan is in the grip of widespread hunger and malnutrition. WFP continues to expand its food and nutrition assistance to reach millions more people who are living through the daily horrors of war,” said Mr. Dunford.
WFP will scale up assistance to an additional five million people by the end of this year, doubling the number the agency planned to support at the start of 2024.
They will provide support in cash to 1.2 million people in 12 states, giving a boost to local markets.
The agency is working directly with smallholder farmers, many displaced by conflict, to boost wheat production.
The ongoing violence in Sudan makes it exceedingly difficult to access those most in need.
Some 80% of those living in emergency conditions are in areas where access is extremely limited due to heavy fighting.
WFP is working around the clock to expand access across frontlines and other hard-to-reach areas.
“The situation is already catastrophic and has the potential to worsen further unless support reaches all those affected by conflict,” Mr. Dunford said.
The reported massacre in the village of Wad Al-Noura in Aj Jazirah State on Wednesday illustrates the horrors of the intensifying conflict.
Clementine Nkweta-Salami, the Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Sudan said “Even by the tragic standards of Sudan’s conflict, the images emerging from Wad Al-Noura are heart-breaking,” .
There were reports of heavy gunfire and the use of explosive weapons in highly populated civilian areas, resulted in a high number of casualties.
Ms. Nkweta-Salami called for a thorough investigation and for the perpetrators of the massacre to be held responsible.
“Human tragedy has become a hallmark of life in Sudan. We cannot allow impunity to become another one,” she said.
The violent attacks left at least 55 children dead and injured.
UNICEF Executive Director Ms. Catherine Russell said “I am horrified by the reports that at least 35 children were killed and more than 20 children were injured during the attack yesterday on the village of Wad al Noura, in Sudan’s al-Jazira state,”
She described it as “yet another grim reminder of how the children of Sudan are paying the price for the brutal violence“.
Thousands of children have been killed, injured, recruited, abducted, and subjected to rape and other grave acts of sexual violence over the past year, UN agencies stated.
Over 5 million children have been forced to flee their homes.
Ms. Russell called for “an immediate cessation of hostilities, ensuring the protection of children from harm.”
International Organization for Migration has warned that the number of people displaced by conflict inside Sudan could top 10 million in the coming days.
It said 2.8 million men, women and children displaced prior to the start of this phase of the conflict which erupted between rival generals in April last year.
Over half of all internally displaced people are women and girls, and over a quarter of those displaced are children under the age of 5.
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