The World Food Programme (WFP) reported that Sudan is grappling with unparalleled levels of hunger and conflict, plunging the nation into a dire humanitarian crisis. According to WFP, around 18 million people are currently battling acute food insecurity. The Principals of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee have issued warnings that over 10.5 million people have been displaced since mid-April 2023, with famine threatening millions in regions such as Darfur, Kordofan, Al Jazirah, and Khartoum.
WFP Regional Director for Eastern Africa Michael Dunford emphasized the severity of the crisis, stating, “Sudan is in the grip of widespread hunger and malnutrition. The situation is already catastrophic and has the potential to worsen further unless support reaches all those affected by conflict.”
Humanitarian agencies are straining to meet the needs across the country, struggling to provide essential supplies such as food, medical care, and clean water. The crisis has led to shocking levels of malnutrition among children, posing severe long-term risks.
Last month, Doctors Without Borders described the conflict as a “humanitarian catastrophe” with a rising death toll. Both humanitarian aid agencies and human rights organizations have urged the conflicting parties to take measures to mitigate the escalating hunger crisis. Reports have even accused the parties of employing starvation as a weapon of war, a severe violation of human rights and international law.
The use of starvation as a weapon constitutes a grievous breach of the Geneva Conventions (1949) and Additional Protocol I (1977). Article 54 explicitly prohibits the starvation of civilians as a means of warfare. Furthermore, Article 8 of the Rome Statute classifies the intentional use of starvation as a war crime in both international and non-international conflicts.