UN Reports 19.5 Million Sudanese in Critical Food Crisis

A new United Nations assessment shows that Sudan’s hunger emergency has reached catastrophic levels, with 19.5 million people facing acute food insecurity. Briefing reporters in New York, Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq highlighted fourteen areas in Greater Darfur and Greater Kordofan already threatened by famine. The lean season ahead is likely to worsen the situation dramatically. Aid organizations fell short of their February target, reaching just 3.13 million of the planned 4.8 million people. The gap leaves entire communities without reliable food supplies or basic services. UN agencies are pressing for an immediate halt to fighting and urging donors to release emergency funds for food, seeds, nutrition, health, water, and sanitation. In the field, relief teams have delivered water and hygiene kits to 85,000 residents in North Kordofan and supported 88,000 people in South Kordofan. Two thousand displaced families in Sheikan also received essential household items. Without swift, large-scale assistance, experts warn that preventable deaths will rise sharply in the coming months.