UNHCR urges action as famine is confirmed in North Darfur
August 4, 2023 (PORT SUDAN) – The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has urged action, days after famine was confirmed in Sudan’s North Darfur state.
A recent assessment by the Famine Review Committee (FRC) of the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) concluded that famine conditions are prevalent in parts of North Darfur, including the Zamzam camp in El Fasher.
The Zamzam Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp, south of El Fasher town is one of the largest IDP camps with an estimated population of at least 500,000.
The situation has been worsened by the escalating violence in Sudan, which has been persisting for over 15 months now, severely impeding humanitarian access.
The escalation of violence in El Fasher, characterized by widespread clashes has forced many residents to seek refuge in IDP camps lacking basic services.
Mamadou Dian Balde, the UNHCR Regional Director for the East and Horn of Africa and Great Lakes region expressed concerns that displaced women, children and men are dying of hunger, malnutrition and disease in North Darfur.
“This is a clear indication of the fragility of people forced to flee, many of them multiple times over,” he said in a statement, adding, “With appalling human rights atrocities, the forced displacement of over 10 million people since the start of the war last year, and the lack of the most basic services for a large percentage of the population, the world’s most pressing humanitarian catastrophe is growing and deepening every day, threatening to engulf the whole region.”
According to the UNHCR official, the arrival of millions of refugees and internally displaced people from Sudan is stretching host communities to a breaking point.
It further says as famine and hunger increase amidst the violence in Sudan, those crossing borders to find safety will arrive in more and more precarious conditions.
“Urgent action is vital to avert even more death and suffering. This brutal war must end. Humanitarians must have access to deliver lifesaving aid. International donors need to step up their support to address the persistent underfunding of this and other humanitarian crises. It is crucial to stand in solidarity with individuals and communities in need. The people of Sudan have suffered enough,” noted Balde.
Meanwhile, the World Food Programme (WFP) has urgently called on all warring parties to allow humanitarian organizations guarantees of safe passage for those delivering life-saving aid to communities in the most desperate circumstances.
“It is not too late to stop famine from spreading to other parts of the country,” said WFP Executive Director Cindy McCain, adding “To save lives and prevent widespread starvation in Sudan, we must be able to reach all areas where people are in need.”
She added: “The Sudanese people are counting on us as their lifeline after enduring unimaginable hardship since this conflict began.”
Since conflict broke out in Sudan in mid-April 2023, WFP has been warning of a spiraling hunger crisis, calling on the warring parties to allow humanitarian access.
(ST)