ALBAWABA - The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) issued a statement alerting the international community of a significant agrifood crisis in Sudan, where 6.3 million people are on the verge of severe starvation.
According to the most recent Integrated Food Security Phase (IPC) report, approximately 20.3 million people, or more than 42 percent of the country's population, will be experiencing high levels of acute food insecurity (IPC Phase 3 or higher) between July and September 2023.
The number of persons who are extremely food insecure has nearly doubled since the latest IPC report in May 2022.
The most severely affected states, which are wracked by the ongoing conflict in Sudan, are Khartoum, South and West Kordofan, and Central, East, South, and West Darfur, where more than half of the population is facing acute hunger.
The report listed out the main contributing factors behind the daunting crisis in the African country, "The dire food insecurity situation in South Sudan is driven by the cumulative effects of climate shocks, particularly floods and dry spells, poor agriculture infrastructure, conflict, and economic downturns. They affect agriculture production and productivity, disrupt livelihoods and hamper humanitarian access,".
FAO South Sudan Country Representative, Meshack Malo, stated: "We remain committed to ensuring that no one goes to bed hungry and food security improves significantly in the country. To this end, South Sudan has to be assisted to fully exploit its vast potential in agriculture, livestock, and fisheries to move away from food dependency to self-sufficiency,".
War In Sudan
The power struggle, which erupted on April 15, pitted Sudanese Military General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan against his former deputy chairman Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo "Hemedti" over who will settle in the leading position in the country.
So far, the conflict between the two military leaders has killed at least 3,900 people and displaced 3.5 million people internally or across borders away from the fighting zones in Khartoum and the western Darfur area.
