The conflict in Sudan has displaced more than 10 million people either to safer areas within Sudan or to neighboring countries. The fighting has quickly spread across the nation-- most notably to urban areas. Thousands have been killed, including roughly between 10,000 and 15,000 people, when paramilitary forces and allied Arab militias ravaged Darfur last year.
A woman and a child sit waiting at a nutrition centre at the Kalma camp for the displaced just outside Nyala, the provincial capital of South Darfur state, on November 20, 2022. - Sudan is one of the world's poorest countries, with one third of the population, at least 15 million people, facing a growing hunger crisis, according to United Nations figures.
The chaos of war erupted mid-April in the capital, Khartoum between the country's military, led by Gen. Abdel Fattah Burhan, and the paramilitary group known as Rapid Support Forces, commanded by Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo.
Since, the conflict has grown into a dire humanitarian situation that risks creating the world's largest hunger crisis, a top U.N. official warned.
Cindy McCain, head of the World Food Program, said the fighting in Sudan, which pits the country's military against a violent paramilitary group, has shattered the lives of millions across the northeastern African nation.
"The war in Sudan risks triggering the world's largest hunger crisis," McCain said as she wrapped up a trip to neighboring South Sudan, where hundreds of thousands of Sudanese have fled the fighting in their home country.
Per The Associated Press, the U.N. food agency reported some 18 million people across Sudan face acute hunger, and the most desperate of them are caught behind the front lines. Five million are facing starvation.
"The People Of Sudan Have Been Forgotten"
It was two decades ago when Darfur became akin to genocide and war crimes. Notorious Janjaweed Arab militias fought against populations that identify as Central or East African.
Today, the legacy returns vengeful. In January, International Criminal Court's prosecutor Karim Khan revealed there are grounds to believe both sides are committing possible war crimes, crimes against humanity, or genocide in Darfur.
"Twenty years ago, Darfur was the world's largest hunger crisis, and the world rallied to respond. But today, the people of Sudan have been forgotten," McCain said.
Once in South Sudan, "one in five children in border transit centers suffers from malnutrition," stated WFP.
McCain has called for battling factions to halt their fighting to allow humanitarian agencies to provide crucial life-saving assistance. Aid continues to run into disruptions after authorities revoked permits for cross-border truck convoys.
The operations have since been suspended.
