UNCHR Regional Refugee Coordinator for the Sudan situation Mamadou Dian Balde said that famine has now been officially declared in Sudan’s North Darfur region and urged immediate action. The famine conditions have been confirmed in North Darfur’s Zamzam camp where nearly 26 million people are struggling to secure enough food daily, according to the World Food Program.
Balde stated, “The warning signs were there for months yet there is now confirmation of famine in Sudan. Such a tragedy for the civilians caught in the conflict – many of them displaced several times over. This brutal war must end & humanitarians need access to deliver urgently needed aid.”
The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification’s (IPC) Famine Review Committee has confirmed the ongoing famine in North Darfur in its recently released report, noting there are 220,000 displaced people in the region. The IPC emphasized that “after a careful review of the recent IPC analyses conducted by FEWS NET and the Sudan IPC Technical Working Group, the Famine Review Committee has concluded that famine conditions are prevalent in parts of North Darfur, including the Zamzam camp south of El Fasher.” The escalating violence over the past 15 months has severely impeded humanitarian access, worsening conditions.
The ongoing conflict has displaced over 10 million people, exacerbating dire humanitarian conditions. Human rights violations, lack of basic services, and a worsening food crisis threaten the entire region. In response, the UN Mission of the UK in New York called for an urgent Security Council meeting on Sudan, stating, “Sudan needs peace now.” A recent report by Human Rights Watch (HRW) documented extensive sexual violence by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Khartoum, amounting to war crimes and crimes against humanity.
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