Famine now prevalent in parts of war-torn Sudan

The 15-month-long escalating conflict between warring militias “has severely impeded humanitarian access and pushed parts of North Darfur into famine, notably in the Zamzam camp for internally displaced persons (IDPs)”, stated the Famine Review Committee of the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) in its latest report.

The global initiative, comprising UN agencies, regional partners and aid organizations, classifies food insecurity into five phases, with the fifth phase indicating famine by which at least one in five people or households have an extreme lack of food and face starvation.

Find out more about famine and the IPC in our explainer here.

Devastation at Zamzam camp

The Zamzam camp is located approximately 12 kilometres south of El Fasher, capital of North Darfur state, and represents one of the largest IDP camps in Sudan, with the population expanding rapidly over the past weeks to at least 500,000 people.

“The scale of devastation brought by the escalating violence in El Fasher town is profound and harrowing,” according to the report.

Persistent, intense and widespread clashes have forced many residents to seek refuge in IDP camps, where they face a stark reality, the report stated. Basic services are scant or absent, compounding the hardship of displacement.

Main drivers

Around 320,000 people are believed to have been displaced since mid-April in El Fasher, the report explained. Around 150,000 to 200,000 of them are believed to have moved to Zamzam camp in search of security, basic services, and food since mid-May.

“The main drivers of famine in Zamzam camp are conflict and lack of humanitarian access, both of which can immediately be rectified with the necessary political will,” according to the IPC report.

Restrictions on humanitarian access, including intentional impediments imposed by the active parties to the conflict, have severely restricted the capability of aid organizations to scale up their response efforts effectively.

Conditions could worsen

The new report included a package of recommendations for humanitarian partners and decision makers to change course.

“Famine conditions will only worsen and be further prolonged if conflict continues and humanitarian and full commercial access is not made possible,” according to the IPC report, which contains the latest hunger assessments in the African country, with previous updates having warned of a looming famine earlier this year.

As the conflict is the predominant factor driving this famine, the report recommended that all means are exhaustively explored to reduce or resolve the underlying conflict between the parties involved in Sudan.

The cessation of hostilities in conjunction with the sustained restoration of humanitarian access are essential in mitigating the deterioration of food security, nutrition and health conditions faced by the populations in El Fasher locality and across Sudan, the report stated.

Grim projections

During a projection period from August to October 2024, the IPC warned that the situation could worsen even more due to a continued lack of access to food, an increased risk of infectious disease, and very limited access to health care and nutrition services.

The IPC said there will be a heightened risk of waterborne diseases, the possibility of a measles outbreak due to low vaccination coverage and an increased incidence of malaria associated with the rainy season.

To avert those projections, the IPC report recommended, among other things, the immediate halt by warring parties to any attacks on hospitals, aid groups and civilian infrastructure and ensure unhindered access routes into and within greater Darfur states for humanitarian and commercial actors.