2024 Sudan Famine

Throughout 2024, the population of Sudan suffered from severe malnutrition and human-made famine conditions as a result of the Sudanese civil war beginning in 2023, primarily in Darfur, Kordofan, and neighboring refugee-taking nations such as Chad. Famine conditions were caused in part by deliberate attempts by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) to siege and loot cities with civilians trapped in them and by both sides blocking off supply routes to allow food and humanitarian aid to flow through. On August 1, the Global Famine Review Committee released a report officially declaring that there was a high risk of IPC Phase 5 famine conditions ongoing throughout internally displaced persons (IDP) camps in Darfur near Al-Fashir.

Background

As a result of the Sudanese civil war, supplies such as food and water were becoming "extremely acute." On 22 February 2024, The World Food Programme released a report which said that more than 95% of the Sudanese population couldn't afford a meal a day.

Food shortage

As of June 18, 25.6 million people were reportedly suffering from acute food shortages. Of these, 756,000 people faced "catastrophic levels of hunger." This was due to many citizens who relied on food rations from the World Food Programme (WFP) having their daily calories reduced by close to 20% compared to two months ago due to only 19% of the WFP's funding objective being achieved. Many Sudanese civilians were forced to trade WFP food rations for less balanced and nutritious but more filling food, like white rice.

Contributing reasons for this were cereal production in Darfur and Kordofan falling to 80% below average production in 2023, leading to significant price increases that make food too expensive for most people to subsist on for long periods. Reportedly, the RSF burned crops, looted warehouses, and restricted border access, which the RSF denied as being due to rogue actors or the Sudanese military. Many refugee camps considerably grew in population due to the increased rate of refugee intake, further exacerbating food shortages and causing supplies to deplete faster. Refugees are often unable to leave the camps to find work or food due to the danger of being captured or killed by the RSF or other allied militias.

In addition, malnutrition causes lower immune system function, leading to greater susceptibility to diseases such as measles, malaria, cholera, and other gastrointestinal diseases. These in turn led to symptoms such as vomiting and diarrhea that further exacerbated malnutrition.

Impact

On 18 June 2024, the UN Director of Operations and Advocacy Edem Wosornu stated that nearly five million people were facing "emergency levels of food insecurity," which included 800,000 vulnerable people in Al-Fashir, North Darfur, including women, children, older adults, and people with disabilities. She reported that "over 2 million people in 41 hunger hotspots" were on the cusp of catastrophic famine and that 7,000 new mothers could die without proper food and medical supplies. Officials from the United States reported that the situation in Sudan was "the world's most severe humanitarian crisis" despite the relatively low amount of media attention it received and that it had the potential to become the worst famine since the 1983–1985 famine in Ethiopia.

3.6 million children were reported to be "acutely malnourished." The Kalma refugee camp reported that 28 children died of malnutrition coupled with disease in two weeks in May and that at least one child passed away every day from these conditions. Reuters found that 14 Darfur graveyards were expanding quicker than in the second half of 2023, indicating the increased impact malnutrition and disease had on the refugee population. 196 refugee children in Chad died directly from acute malnutrition.

Famine confirmation

On August 1, the Global Famine Review Committee officially declared that there was a high risk of IPC Phase 5 famine conditions ongoing in the Zamzam IDP camp near Al-Fashir, with plausible evidence of famine occurring in the nearby Al Salam and Abu Shouk camps. Mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) reviews conducted by MSF and the State Ministry of Health from late March to early April 2024 showed that about 33.7% of civilians in West Darfur suffered from global acute malnutrition, as well as 29.4% of children tested in the Zamzam IDP camp and 20% in the general Al-Fashir area. Satellite imaging analysis on the Zamzam camp indicated a ~26% faster rate of increase in counted graves between 18 December 2023 and 3 May 2024 relative to a similar period in 2022-2023. At least 64 deaths were determined to be caused by malnutrition or diseases caused or exacerbated by malnutrition in Zamzam camp, with fifteen of the reported deaths being children under five.

On the same day, the Famine Early Warning Systems Network declared a state of famine at the Zamzam IDP camp in El Fasher. On 13 August, civilian authorities affiliated with the Sudan People's Liberation Movement–North declared a state of famine over parts of South Kordofan, including the Nuba Mountains, and Blue Nile States affecting around three million people. By 22 August, at least 109 deaths from malnutrition had been recorded in the said areas.

Response

The United States granted US$315 million in humanitarian aid to Sudan and refugee-receiving countries including the Central African Republic, Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia, and South Sudan.

The United Arab Emirates set aside 70% of its US$100 million humanitarian pledge to give to Sudan and surrounding countries affected by the humanitarian crisis. The UAE planned to allocate the money to several UN humanitarian agencies to prevent further deterioration of famine conditions. Proposed aid included food distribution, building and supplying field hospitals, creating emergency shelters, and protecting women vulnerable to the crisis.

See also

* 2017 South Sudan famine
* 1998 Sudan famine
* 1993 Sudan famine

References

External links

August 2024 IPC Famine Review
at Reliefweb

Emergency in Sudan
at the World Food Programme

Sudan Compounded Crises
at the International Rescue Committee

Humanitarian Situation - Sudan
at Reliefweb

{{Sudanese civil war (2023–present)

Famines in Sudan
2024 in Sudan
2024 in Chad
Man-made disasters in Africa
Impacts of the Sudanese civil war (2023–present)
Health disasters in Sudan
21st-century famines
Disasters in Sudan