Nairobi, May 15, (dpa/GNA) – UN agencies warned on Friday that conditions in Sudan are set to worsen further, as a deepening hunger crisis collides with the onset of the rainy season.
Conditions in the East African country, which has been ravaged by a civil war lasting three years, are “extremely concerning” according to a joint statement by several United Nations agencies, which called for rapid and unhindered humanitarian access.
The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the World Food Programme (WFP) and the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) cited the latest analysis by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), a global authority on food security bringing together nearly two dozen UN and aid organizations.
The assessment found that around 19.5 million people, around 40% of Sudan’s population, are facing acute food insecurity.
The analysis indicates that 14 million people are in so-called IPC Phase 3, which is characterized by acute hunger. More than 5 million are in IPC Phase 4, which indicates a humanitarian emergency, and around 135,000 people are in the final IPC Phase 5, at which point conditions akin to famine are described.
“Conditions are expected to deteriorate further during the lean season, between June and September,” it said.
The agencies highlighted the Kordofan region as a particular concern, where fighting between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and government troops has further strained supplies. They said the RSF is besieging towns and blocking aid convoys, worsening shortages.
In their statement, the FAO, WFP and UNICEF called for an “immediate cessation of hostilities, for parties to the conflict to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure.”
The three organizations are also appealing to the international community to urgently increase funding for humanitarian aid in the country.
GNA