World Food Programme/World Relief Organization
The World Food Programme (WFP) and its partner, World Relief, are providing emergency food supplies in West Darfur.
The violent conflict in Sudan, which began a year ago, has taken a huge toll of life, the World Health Organization said today. One of the world's worst and largest crises has led to the largest displacement crisis and may soon become one of the world's worst hunger crises.
Since April last year, the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have been locked in a brutal conflict, with both sides refusing to heed calls for peace at the regional and international levels. During this period, humanitarian agencies have repeatedly warned about the scale and severity of the hunger and displacement crisis in Sudan.
Loss of life
The World Health Organization says the conflict has killed more than 15,000 people and injured 33,000. Most of the civilian deaths are the result of the use of heavy weapons in populated areas. Women and children are reported to account for a large proportion of the casualties.
According to WHO, 25 million people in Sudan, equivalent to one in two people, are in need of humanitarian assistance. 15 million people are in need of emergency medical assistance.
According to WHO, 18 million people face acute food insecurity and 5 million people in conflict-affected areas are on the verge of famine. 3.5 million, or 1 in 7 children under the age of five, are acutely malnourished.
According to Save the Children, 230,000 children, pregnant women and mothers will die of hunger in the coming months unless emergency life-saving funds and assistance are available in time.
WHO notes that funding for Sudan is currently grossly underfunded. So far, only 17 per cent of the appeal for funds issued by the Humanitarian Response Plan has been funded.
On the pavement
UNHCR says Sudan has fled more people fleeing conflict than anywhere else in the world over the past year. More than 8.6 million people have been displaced within the Sudan and neighbouring countries, many of whom have fled multiple times.
UNHCR statistics show that more than 50 per cent of displaced persons fled the Sudan during the first four months of the crisis. By mid-September 2023, the number was as high as 1 million, and by the end of January 2024, the number climbed to about 1.5 million. A year after the start of the war, thousands of people are still crossing the border every day. South Sudan received the largest number of people, including refugees and South Sudanese returnees, and Chad and Egypt received the largest number of refugees.
Educational disruptions
In Sudan, the education system is facing a crisis, UNHCR said. The government is no longer able to ensure regular and timely payment of teachers' salaries, even in states not affected by the conflict. Many teachers have joined the displaced population. In addition, schools have been destroyed or used to house internally displaced persons. More than 19 million children are currently out of school, many of whom miss an entire school year.
The issue of sexual violence is a cause for concern
According to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), there has been a surge in cases of sexual violence in Sudan over the past year. The Fund noted that sexual violence as a weapon of war is targeted regardless of age and that women of all ages are victims.
Nearly 80 per cent of hospitals in conflict-affected areas of Sudan are no longer functioning due to shortages and displaced staff, and most women and girls do not have access to the reproductive health services they desperately need, UNFPA said.
