Hunger in Sudan forces people to eat soil, leaves, and cats
Sudan faces widespread famine amidst the ongoing civil war in the country between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Since the war’s beginning in April 2023, over 8.3 million people have been internally displaced, and 13,000 have been killed by the fighting.
According to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), a global hunger assessment organisation, of the nation’s 49 million population, 18 million are facing “high levels of acute food insecurity.” The group claimed dire food insecurity has forced many Sudanese citizens to eat just about anything in a desperate bid to survive.
Since the occupation of the country’s capital, Khartoum, by the RSF in April 2023, food security in the region has collapsed. Many SAF soldiers and civilians had actively hunted pigeons, geese, other wild birds, and even cats as a last measure against starvation. Others resorted to eating boiled mango and guava leaves to fill their stomachs.
Google Earth has updated its satellite imagery of many parts of Sudan. Looking over West Darfur city of El Geneina, I am shocked at the level of destruction. In some parts, whole areas have been destroyed and cleared. Location: 13.4469, 22.4151 (dates: April 2023 & March 2024) pic.twitter.com/IiYpd0Cg9j
— Benjamin Strick (@BenDoBrown) April 22, 2024
Many displaced civilians in the Al Lait refugee camp located in North Darfur have faced unemployment and hunger for days since the war broke out. Garang Achien Akok, a 41-year-old refugee currently residing in the Al Lait camp with his wife and five children, stated that the dilapidated conditions of the camp have forced him and his family to go hungry for days on end.
Sometimes, despite his objections, his wife and children roll soil and water into balls and then swallow them with water. “I keep telling them not to do it, but it’s hunger—there is nothing I can do,” he said.
Recently, Reuters interviewed Sudanese civilians in the city of Omdurman, who reported that stringent food shortages have been left in the aftermath of the year-long civil war. Ethnic and sexual violence has forced millions to flee their homes, along with looming famine and water scarcity due to rising climate change.
Global agencies call for global relief mobilisation
Global aid organisations like IPC and WFP have highlighted the need to mobilise global relief asap, stating that unless aid shipments are distributed quickly, over 5 million people in South Sudan will perish from starvation. Humanitarian medical organisation “Doctors without Borders” said, “As of April 2024, a child is dying from starvation in Sudan, every 2 hours.”
The organisations have stated that due to the internet outage in the country, it is becoming very hard to conduct food surveys and food security reviews, which is delaying effective and fast aid distribution. Agency officials also said that due to the current conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine, it has become harder to secure funding for aid distribution.
Senior programme advisor in global relief organisation “Project HOPE,” Chessa Latifi, said, “People are so involved in Ukraine and so involved in Gaza that there is no space for anyone to think, to be open to listen and hear about Sudan.”.
Anette Hoffmann, author of a report on the food crisis in Sudan for the Netherlands-based Clingendael think tank, said, “We are likely to witness a famine of a scale not seen in decades.”
The report predicted three possible outcomes for the country. In the most optimistic scenario projected, only 6% of the population will face famine, and in the worst case, 40% of the population will starve by June or July.
The SAF’s second in command, Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Jaber, has refuted the claims in the report and stated, “We will not let Sudan fall into hunger. We have more than we need.” He also accused the RSF of looting aid shipments, not just from the army but from civilians as well. Civilians also accused the RSF of looting and destroying grain fields by the dozens since the start of the conflict.
Although RSF denied the looting claims, stating “any rogue actor’s in RSF’s ranks will be held accountable.” Eyewitnesses from Khartoum (the capital of Sudan) have corroborated the SAF’s claims of RSF looting food and other basic aid. Global food security experts and aid agencies have issued a “red warning” for Sudan as hunger and starvation spread across the country.
UN calls for quick resolution between SAF and RSF
The United Nations (UN) Organisation said Sudan has now become the world’s largest displacement crisis, with one of every internally displaced person in the world.
Despite calls for direct intervention, Sudan has not received the direct attention of the world, even after the civil war’s high mortality rate. Due to the lack of attention given to the year-long conflict, many have termed the conflict “the forgotten war.”
The UN has advised the warring factions to resolve their differences with minimal bloodshed, but RSF attacks have grown in frequency as of late, with no signs of abating. The RSF’s lack of commitment towards peace negotiations has drawn concern from international entities worldwide.
