In a recent move, the Sudanese government has expressed its firm opposition to the latest United Nations-supported famine assessment by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC). As reported by the Sudan News Agency, Sudan’s Foreign Ministry has emphatically denied the IPC’s designation of a famine situation within the nation. The army-aligned government has criticized the famine analysis as being speculative due to an alleged lack of field data.
The IPC’s most recent forecasts, issued on December 24, anticipate that around 24.6 million people in Sudan could face severe levels of acute food insecurity from late 2024 to mid-2025. Notably, specific regions including Zamzam, the Abu Shouk and Al Salam camps in North Darfur, and the Western Nuba mountains have been identified as experiencing critical levels of food insecurity, categorized under Phase 5, signaling grave malnutrition and mortality concerns. The full report is accessible here.
The IPC has highlighted that the ongoing conflict between the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) is exacerbating food insecurity by hindering humanitarian access. The IPC has advocated for an end to hostilities to facilitate humanitarian aid and support vulnerable households towards agricultural resilience, as detailed here.
Sudanese officials, however, have contended that their communications on the discrepancies in the report were ignored. Dr. Omar Abu Bakr Al-Bishri, Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, mentioned that prior to the release of such reports, the IPC should have consulted local governmental bodies, as reported here.
Amidst these challenges, the humanitarian crisis in Sudan, described as one of the world’s most severe, demands urgent international attention. Edem Wosornu, Director of Operations at the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), highlighted the dire circumstances in Sudan and called for increased economic resources to address the crisis, a plea that was reiterated in reports observed here.
The sustained conflict also poses significant threats in urban centers such as El Fasher, leading to increased civilian casualties and a deepening humanitarian disaster. The situation in El Fasher was further evidenced by reports from UN officials, as found here.
Faced with these challenges, Sudanese officials maintain that malnutrition rates are no worse than pre-conflict levels, as discussed by health authorities here.