International Organization for Migration (IOM) Director Amy Pope arrived in Port Sudan on Monday to spotlight Sudan’s worsening humanitarian crisis.
Her visit comes amid alarming hunger levels, with 21.2 million Sudanese facing severe food insecurity.
Famine was declared in El Fasher and Kadugli on November 3, with warnings that it could spread to 20 more areas across Darfur and Kordofan.
Pope wrote on X that she came to “highlight the humanitarian crisis, where more than 30 million people need assistance.”
“The International Organization for Migration is proud to stand with them,” she said, urging that “life-saving care must continue.”
The IOM said Pope’s visit reaffirms the organisation’s commitment to assisting those affected by conflict and displacement, and appeals for urgent global action to address Sudan’s deepening catastrophe.
A recent IOM assessment on October 25 revealed that 86% of households are struggling to meet basic needs, citing low income, inflation, cash shortages, and market disruption.
Poverty had soared from 21% to 71% due to the ongoing war, leaving 23 million people below the poverty line.
Officials pledged to launch productive projects and create jobs to ease the crisis.
Since conflict erupted on April 15, 2023, most Sudanese have lost their livelihoods, relying instead on remittances and humanitarian aid.
Families are skipping meals, selling possessions, and forcing children into work or early marriage as survival becomes ever more desperate.
