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755,000 people at immediate risk of starvation
Over 11 million people are internally displaced in their own country, and half of the population is dependent on humanitarian aid – the war in Sudan is one of the worst crises of our time. The Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary forces have been fighting each other since April 15, 2023. New analyses show that famine is raging in parts of North Darfur. Displaced families in the Zamzam camp are particularly affected by this most severe form of hunger.
The victims are the local civilian population. More than 26,000 have been killed, millions have fled in fear of the violence and many do not have sufficient access to food and water. The fighting prevents people from heading out into the streets, stocking up on food, or doing agricultural work.
© Welthungerhilfe
A famine, as identified in parts of Sudan by food experts from the IPC (Integrated Food Security Phase Classification) system, is the highest level of food insecurity. Experts declare a famine when an affected region has:
Since the IPC was introduced 20 years ago, this is only the third time that a famine has been declared (2017 in South Sudan, 2011 in Somalia).
Even before the current crisis, climate change had led to high levels of hunger in Sudan. Droughts and extreme flooding pose a risk to agriculture, food prices have risen immensely and the economy has collapsed in many places. 25.6 million have an insecure food supply.
Welthungerhilfe (WHH) is working to address this. In the Zamzam camp for displaced people, for example, we plan to deliver food to 107,000 people – around a fifth of the people seeking refuge there. These deliveries include food specifically made for children under the age of 5.
"In Sudan, a total of over eleven million people have been displaced by the war. Around 8.5 million people are suffering from acute hunger." Mathias Mogge (pictured second from right), WHH Secretary General, was on the ground and described how urgent the situation was.
"Children are already dying in the refugee camps in Darfur, in the west of the country. The ongoing war and heavy rains are causing epidemics to break out. There have already been 30,000 reported cases of cholera, and malaria and dengue fever are also rampant. The situation is unbearable. We must not abandon the people.
© Welthungerhilfe
It is our collective responsibility to bring an end to this crisis. We call for the urgent roll out of the recommendations made by the Famine Review Committee, and emphasize:
8.5 million people in Sudan are currently in an acute food emergency, and 755,000 are at immediate risk of starvation. The farmers have largely used up their supplies. Due to the fighting, many lack the confidence to go out into their fields to harvest new crops. They also need seeds and tools. WHH is still active in Sudan and is supporting the people in 16 projects.
Sudan is experiencing one of the biggest humanitarian crises in the world. For the first time in seven years, nutrition experts from the IPC (Integrated Food Security Phase Classification) have declared famine in some areas of the country – the lowest classification for food access. The experts declared famine in some areas around El Fasher in Darfur, with the Zamzam refugee camp particularly affected. Across the country, food access is highly insecure, affecting 25.6 million people.
The brutal war between the government and hostile militias has also displaced 11 million people who are fleeing the ongoing fighting in their own country, half of whom are children. The fighting has been going on for more than a year and has devastated the capital and other parts of the country. Medical care has collapsed and the economy is barely functioning.
WHH has been working in Sudan since 1998. From the very beginning, we have concentrated on humanitarian aid measures such as food distributions and long-term development projects in the agricultural sector. After our office in Khartoum was destroyed by the fighting, we coordinated our work from the city of Port Sudan. In 2023, we implemented 22 projects with a volume of 8.2 million euros. This enabled us to support 500.000 people. 177 national and international employees work in the states of Kassala, Gedaref and North Darfur.
Armed fighting presents significant challenges as the security situation in regions continues to deteriorate, making it difficult to deliver aid. Nevertheless, in recent months, we have managed to continue distributing food and other relief supplies in refugee camps and also provide seeds in areas that are not shelled daily. However, we are always dependent on access to the respective regions. This is why we distribute food rations for about three months to cover an extended period.
Like other crisis countries, we have a very tight security network in Sudan. This network includes daily briefings from our security experts and exchanges with other stakeholders at the respective locations. We continually adapt our field visits or trips to the latest security recommendations. This adaptation also means international colleagues temporarily work from offices outside Sudan. Our local colleagues also change locations – depending on how the fighting develops on the ground. The safety of all employees is always our top priority.
In 2023, we were able to achieve a lot with your help
WHH stands for transparency and quality, as well as the economical and targeted use of donations and verified information. For this reason, the German Central Institute for Social Issues (DZI) has awarded us the donation seal of approval. We use your donation in a targeted and responsible manner. If we receive more donations than required for a project, we will fund other WHH projects needing funding.
A life without hunger is a human right. Nevertheless, millions of people worldwide go hungry. Together with our supporters, we have a goal: #ZeroHunger by 2030 – in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
WHH works according to the principle of "helping people to help themselves." We implement aid projects so that people can sustainably provide for themselves in the long term, making our own work redundant in the long run. With our donors, we support entire communities worldwide to advance their infrastructure and development and create a fair basis for all people in a region.
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Welthungerhilfe has been holding the DZI seal of approval for donations since 1992. The seal certifies that Welthungerhilfe is handling the funds entrusted to it efficiently and responsibly.
