The United Nations’ World Food Program (WFP) has issued an urgent appeal for greater access to vulnerable populations in Sudan and increased financial support from Western countries as over 25 million people face severe hunger.
Cindy McCain, WFP’s executive director, called for swift global action during a statement on Thursday, highlighting the growing humanitarian crisis in the conflict-ridden country.
“Sudan is nearly a forgotten crisis right now,” McCain told The Associated Press. “There are so many crises going on that people kind of just, you know, it’s just too much and their eyes glaze over.”
Sudan has been mired in conflict since April 2023 when tensions between the country’s fighting forces escalated into violence in the capital, Khartoum.
The violence has since spread to Darfur and other regions, resulting in a large-scale humanitarian disaster. The ongoing conflict has displaced over 10 million people and claimed tens of thousands of lives.
The WFP is facing significant challenges in delivering aid to those in need.
According to McCain, heavy rains have worsened the already dire situation by damaging infrastructure, slowing down aid efforts to reach Zamzam camp, where over 400,000 displaced people are living.
The camp, which crossed famine thresholds earlier this year, has become even more difficult to access due to washed-out roads and bridges.
“It’s taken our trucks almost two weeks to get in there,” McCain said. “We need to get in there at scale. And we need to make sure that the world understands the need and what is at stake if we don’t.”
Compounding the crisis, the WFP is also grappling with a funding shortfall as donor nations, stretched thin by global emergencies, are contributing less.
In response, the WFP has been exploring innovative approaches to maximize its resources, including leveraging new technologies to predict weather patterns and manage food deliveries during emergencies.
“We have to do more with less,” McCain stated. “We have to be more efficient, more effective… Climate change effects and things are very necessary now.”
The WFP is appealing to the international community for renewed financial commitments and increased attention to Sudan’s deteriorating situation, warning that millions of lives depend on immediate aid.ons of lives depend on immediate aid.
