Famine tightens grip on Sudan’s Nuba Mountains, hundreds dead

October 17, 2024 (KAUDA) – A devastating famine in the Nuba Mountains region of Sudan has claimed the lives of at least 646 people, with more than 52,000 suffering from malnutrition, according to the civilian administration of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N).

The crisis, declared a famine by the SPLM-N in August, is unfolding in areas under its control in South Kordofan and Blue Nile areas. An estimated 3 million people are struggling to survive.

“The health situation is deteriorating rapidly,” Arno Ngutulu Lodi, First Secretary of the Civil Authority, told Sudan Tribune. “We are seeing a surge in malnutrition cases, and tragically, the death toll continues to rise.”

In the New Fung region of Blue Nile state alone, 1,223 cases of malnutrition have been reported, with 404 fatalities.

A combination of factors is driving the crisis, including food shortages, delayed humanitarian aid, poor rainfall last year, and crop failures due to pests.

Lodi criticized the slow pace of humanitarian assistance, saying it has compounded the people’s suffering. Nearly 5 million people across the region are now in urgent need of aid.

“We are calling on the international community to pressure authorities in Port Sudan to remove obstacles and allow aid to reach those in need,” Lodi said. “We need immediate action from humanitarian organizations to save lives. Millions are desperate for food, medicine, and essential supplies.”

The Nuba Mountains region, which covers 138,000 square kilometres in South Kordofan, is home to around 4.4 million people, including 768,000 displaced from other parts of Sudan.

The New Fung region in Blue Nile state has a population of 1.3 million, with an estimated 502,000 displaced people.