Categories: World

World’s largest hunger crisis looms in Sudan due to ongoing conflict, UN official warns

close Video

US strikes in Middle East not as ‘effective’ as they could have been: Rep. McCaul

Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas comments on the Biden administration’s response to aggression from Iran-backed groups in the Middle East and shares his perspective on the border bill.

  • The conflict in Sudan between rival generals risks causing the world’s largest hunger crisis, according to Cindy McCain, head of the World Food Program.
  • McCain said that millions in Sudan have been affected by the fighting, leading to acute hunger for around 18 million people.
  • More than 10 million people have been displaced within Sudan or to neighboring countries due to the conflict.

A ruinous conflict raging for about a year between rival generals in Sudan risks creating the world’s largest hunger crisis, the top U.N. food official warned Wednesday as the global attention has been focused on the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.

Cindy McCain, head of the World Food Program, said the fighting in Sudan, which pits the country’s military against a violent paramilitary group, has shattered the lives of millions across the northeastern African nation.

“The war in Sudan risks triggering the world’s largest hunger crisis,” McCain said as she wrapped up a trip to neighboring South Sudan, where hundreds of thousands of Sudanese had fled the fighting in their home country.

SUDAN CONFLICT SPREADS TO KEY HUMANITARIAN SAFE HAVEN

The U.N. food agency said some 18 million people across Sudan face acute hunger, with the most desperate trapped behind the front lines.

Sudanese displaced people gather on July 1, 2004, at the Zam Zam refugee camp outside the town of El-Fashir in the Darfour region of Sudan during a visit by U.N. officials. A conflict raging for about a year between rival generals in Sudan risks creating the world’s largest hunger crisis, the top U.N. food official warned on Wednesday as the global attention has been focused on the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. (AP Photo/Karel Prinsloo, File)

Sudan plunged into chaos in mid-April when clashes erupted in the capital, Khartoum, between the country’s military, led by Gen. Abdel Fattah Burhan, and a paramilitary known as Rapid Support Forces, commanded by Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo.

The fighting quickly spread across the nation, especially urban areas but also the restive western Darfur region. Thousands of people have been killed, including between 10,000 and 15,000 people, when paramilitary forces and allied Arab militias rampaged through a Darfur town last year.

Two decades ago, Darfur became synonymous with genocide and war crimes, particularly by the notorious Janjaweed Arab militias, against populations that identify as Central or East African.

EXILED SOUTH SUDANESE ACADEMIC CHARGED IN SCHEME TO TRAFFIC WEAPONS, OVERTHROW GOVERNMENT

It seems that legacy has returned, with the International Criminal Court’s prosecutor Karim Khan saying in late January there are grounds to believe both sides are committing possible war crimes, crimes against humanity or genocide in Darfur.

“Twenty years ago, Darfur was the world’s largest hunger crisis and the world rallied to respond. But today, the people of Sudan have been forgotten,” McCain said.

The conflict has uprooted more than 10 million people either to safer areas inside Sudan or to neighboring countries, according to the U.N. agencies.

McCain called for the warring parties to stop fighting and allow humanitarian agencies to provide their life-saving assistance.

“The consequences of inaction go far beyond a mother unable to feed her child and will shape the region for years to come,” she said.

Share

Recent Posts

In warning to Turkey, Israel hits strategic targets in Syria amid rising tensions

close Video Greek Defense Minister Dendias on Turkey's 'neo-Ottoman' policy Greek Defense Minister Dendias sounds…

33 minutes ago

Houthis shoot down 3rd US reaper drone as Trump administration continues daily airstrikes

close Video CENTCOM forces launch airstrikes against Houthis in Yemen Under the direction of President…

33 minutes ago

3 alleged MS-13 gang members in Florida hit with federal murder charges

close Video Fox News Flash top headlines for April 4 Fox News Flash top headlines…

43 minutes ago

CEO allegedly choked fellow cruise ship passenger over dance floor dispute: FBI

close Video Fox News Flash top headlines for April 4 Fox News Flash top headlines…

43 minutes ago

Karen Read appeals double jeopardy ruling to US Supreme Court

close Video Forensic psychologist reveals what makes jury selection in Karen Read's murder retrial 'very…

43 minutes ago

Concerned parents of trans kids compared to ‘hate groups’ by Colorado Dem: Wouldn’t ‘ask the KKK’ for opinion

A Colorado Democrat likened parent groups to "the KKK" during an hours-long committee hearing for…

53 minutes ago