| 2024 famine in Sudan | |
|---|---|
| Country | Sudan |
| Location | |
| Period | April 2023 – present |
| Total deaths | 1062+ |
| Death rate |
|
| Refugees | 777,330 to Chad 695,143 to South Sudan 133,049 to Ethiopia 31,600 to the Central African Republic |
| Causes | Sudanese civil war (2023–present) (including war, humanitarian aid blockade, siege, looting) |
| Relief | USD$315 million in humanitarian aid from the United States USD$70 million in humanitarian aid from UAE |
| Effect on demographics | 20% of population in "emergency food situation" [2] |
| Consequences | 25.6 million people suffer acute food shortage 3.6 million children acutely malnourished >750,000 facing starvation [3] |
| Preceded by | 1998 Sudan famine |
Throughout 2024, the population of Sudan suffered from severe malnutrition and famine conditions as a result of the Sudanese civil war beginning in 2023, primarily in Darfur, Kordofan, and neighboring refugee-taking nations such as Chad. [4] On 1 August, the Global Famine Review Committee released a report officially declaring that it was possible that IPC Phase 5 famine conditions were ongoing in North Darfur near Al-Fashir and there was a high risk of similar conditions throughout internally displaced persons (IDP) camps. [5] Human rights groups say famine conditions were caused in part by deliberate attempts by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) to siege and loot cities with civilians trapped in them and by both sides blocking off supply routes making it difficult to allow food and humanitarian aid to flow through. [4] More than 1,050 deaths [6] have been caused by the famine and over 9 million people have been displaced as a result of the famine and war. [7]
Prior to the 2024 Sudan famine, Sudan has experienced two previous famines. These were caused by scorched earth military tactics throughout the civil war that caused the displacement of thousands which led to erosion of the earth and native crops. These famines taking place in 1993 and 1998 both set a precedent and introduced a weakness into the farming and food chain of Sudan that would allow the 2024 famine to attack with severity. [8] As a result of the Sudanese civil war, supplies such as food and water were becoming "extremely acute." [9]
As of 18 June, 25.6 million people were reportedly suffering from acute food shortages. Of these, 756,000 people faced "catastrophic levels of hunger." [10] This was due to many citizens who relied on food rations from the World Food Programme (WFP) having their daily calories reduced by close to 20% compared to two months ago due to only 19% of the WFP's funding objective being achieved. Many Sudanese civilians were forced to trade WFP food rations for less balanced and nutritious but more filling food, like white rice. [11]
Contributing reasons for this were cereal production in Darfur and Kordofan falling to 80% below average production in 2023, leading to significant price increases that make food too expensive for most people to subsist on for long periods. According to a U.S. envoy to Sudan, the RSF burned crops, looted warehouses, and restricted border access, which the RSF denied as being due to rogue actors within its ranks and blamed the Sudanese military for aid restrictions. Many refugee camps considerably grew in population due to the increased rate of refugee intake, further exacerbating food shortages and causing supplies to deplete faster. Refugees are often unable to leave the camps to find work or food due to the danger of being captured or killed by the RSF or other allied militias. [12]
In May 2023, the WFP said that $13-14 million worth of food aid destined for Sudan had been looted. [13] The looting of the WFP's warehouses in El-Obeid on 1 June led to the loss of food aid meant to feed 4.4 million people. [14] On 25 July, Humanitarian Coordinator Clementine Nkweta-Salami said attacks on humanitarian facilities had led to more than 50 warehouses looted, 82 offices ransacked, and over 200 vehicles stolen. [15]
In addition, malnutrition causes lower immune system function, leading to greater susceptibility to diseases such as measles, malaria, cholera, and other gastrointestinal diseases. These in turn led to symptoms such as vomiting and diarrhea that further exacerbated malnutrition. [12]
On 1 August, the Global Famine Review Committee officially determined that there were IPC Phase 5 famine conditions ongoing in the Zamzam IDP camp near Al-Fashir, with plausible evidence of famine occurring in the nearby Al Salam and Abu Shouk camps. According to UNICEF's website, for a famine to be declared, citizens and children must have already begun to "die from hunger and related conditions including malnutrition and infection". [16] [17] Mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) reviews conducted by MSF and the State Ministry of Health from late March to early April 2024 showed that about 33.7% of civilians in West Darfur suffered from global acute malnutrition, as well as 29.4% of children tested in the Zamzam IDP camp and 20% in the general Al-Fashir area. Satellite imaging analysis on the Zamzam camp indicated a ~26% faster rate of increase in counted graves between 18 December 2023 and 3 May 2024 relative to a similar period in 2022-2023. At least 64 deaths were determined to be caused by malnutrition or diseases caused or exacerbated by malnutrition in Zamzam camp, with fifteen of the reported deaths being children under five. [5]
On the same day, the Famine Early Warning Systems Network declared a state of famine at the Zamzam IDP camp in El Fasher. [18] On 13 August, civilian authorities affiliated with the Sudan People's Liberation Movement–North (SPLM-N) declared a state of famine over parts of South Kordofan, including the Nuba Mountains, and Blue Nile States affecting around three million people. [19] [20] By 22 August, at least 109 deaths from malnutrition had been recorded in the said areas. [21] By 17 October, at least 646 people had died from malnutrition in the Nuba Mountains, while 404 others died in New Fung, Blue Nile State. [6]
On 18 June 2024, the UN Director of Operations and Advocacy Edem Wosornu stated that nearly five million people were facing "emergency levels of food insecurity," which included 800,000 vulnerable people in Al-Fashir, North Darfur, including women, children, older adults, and people with disabilities. She reported that "over 2 million people in 41 hunger hotspots" were on the cusp of catastrophic famine and that 7,000 new mothers could die without proper food and medical supplies. [11] Officials from the United States reported that the situation in Sudan was "the world's most severe humanitarian crisis" despite the relatively low amount of media attention it received and that it had the potential to become the worst famine since the 1983–1985 famine in Ethiopia. [22]
Around 3.6 million children were reported to be "acutely malnourished." [23] OCHA reported that there was a significant increase in disease, especially cholera, interacting with the malnutrition these children are suffering from. [24] The Kalma refugee camp reported that 28 children died of malnutrition coupled with disease in two weeks in May and that at least one child passed away every day from these conditions. Reuters found that 14 Darfur graveyards were expanding quicker than in the second half of 2023, indicating the increased impact malnutrition and disease had on the refugee population. [2] 196 refugee children in Chad died directly from acute malnutrition. [25]
The United States granted US$315 million in humanitarian aid to Sudan and refugee-receiving countries including the Central African Republic, Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia, and South Sudan. [26]
The United Arab Emirates set aside 70% of its US$100 million humanitarian pledge to give to Sudan and surrounding countries affected by the humanitarian crisis. The UAE planned to allocate the money to several UN humanitarian agencies to prevent further deterioration of famine conditions. Proposed aid included food distribution, building and supplying field hospitals, creating emergency shelters, and protecting women vulnerable to the crisis. [27]
Sudanese agriculture minister Abubakr El Bishri denied that there was on ongoing famine in the country and accused humanitarian organizations of seeking to open the country's borders to "smuggle weapons and equipment" to the RSF. [28]
As of September 2024, the 2024 Humanitarian Needs and Responses Plan is still underfunded with less than 50% of its desired US$2.7 billion fulfilled. However, the Adre border crossing point has been re-opened to Sudan. [29]
On 27 September, the SPLM-N accused the Sudanese government of obstructing the delivery of humanitarian aid to famine-stricken areas. [30]
On 23 November, an aid convoy from the WFP arrived in Zamzam IDP camp for the first time since the declaration of famine in the area in August. [31] On 26 November, the Sudanese government accused the RSF of looting aid from a WFP convoy travelling from Port Sudan to Zamzam IDP camp as it passed through Armel, on the border between West and North Kordofan, adding that the looted items were diverted to Nyala. [32]
The Sudan People's Liberation Movement–North, or SPLM–N, is a political party and militant organisation in the Republic of the Sudan, based in the states of Blue Nile and South Kordofan. The group's armed forces are formally known as the Sudan People's Liberation Army–North or SPLA–N. In 2011 when South Sudan broke away from Sudan to form a new country, most of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) and Army (SPLA) left with it, leaving units remaining across the border in Sudan to form the SPLA–N.
Sudanese refugees are people originating from the country of Sudan, seeking refuge outside the borders of their native country. In recent history, Sudan has been the stage for prolonged conflicts and civil wars, as well as environmental changes, namely desertification. These forces have resulted not only in violence and famine but also the forced migration of large numbers of the Sudanese population, both inside and outside the country's borders. Given the expansive geographic territory of Sudan, and the regional and ethnic tensions and conflicts, much of the forced migration in Sudan has been internal. Yet, these populations are not immune to similar issues that typically accompany refugeedom, including economic hardship and providing themselves and their families with sustenance and basic needs. With the creation of a South Sudanese state, questions surrounding southern Sudanese IDPs may become questions of South Sudanese refugees.
The Sudanese conflict in South Kordofan and Blue Nile was an armed conflict in the Sudanese states of South Kordofan and Blue Nile between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement–North (SPLM-N), a northern affiliate of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) in South Sudan. After some years of relative calm following the 2005 agreement which ended the second Sudanese civil war between the Sudanese government and SPLM rebels, fighting broke out again in the lead-up to South Sudan independence on 9 July 2011, starting in South Kordofan on 5 June and spreading to the neighboring Blue Nile state in September. SPLM-N, splitting from newly independent SPLM, took up arms against the inclusion of the two southern states in Sudan with no popular consultation and against the lack of democratic elections. The conflict is intertwined with the War in Darfur, since in November 2011 SPLM-N established a loose alliance with Darfuri rebels, called Sudan Revolutionary Front (SRF).
The Sudanese peace process consists of meetings, written agreements and actions that aim to resolve the War in Darfur, the Sudanese conflict in South Kordofan and Blue Nile, and armed conflicts in central, northern and eastern Sudan.
A civil war between two major rival factions of the military government of Sudan, the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) under Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and its allies under the Janjaweed leader Hemedti, began during Ramadan on 15 April 2023. Three minor (neutral) factions have also participated in the fighting: the Darfur Joint Protection Force; the SLM (al-Nur) under Abdul Wahid al-Nur; and the SPLM-N under Abdelaziz al-Hilu. Fighting has been concentrated around the capital city of Khartoum and the Darfur region. As of 14 November 2024, at least 61,000 people had been killed in Khartoum State alone, of which 26,000 were a direct result of the violence. As of 5 July 2024, over 7.7 million were internally displaced and more than 2.1 million others had fled the country as refugees, and many civilians in Darfur have been reported dead as part of the Masalit massacres.
An ongoing refugee crisis began in Africa in mid-April 2023 after the outbreak of the Sudanese civil war. By June 2024, around 2.1 million people have fled the country, while around 12 million have been internally displaced within Sudan; these numbers include at least 75,000 migrant returnees and other third-country nationals, making the refugee and displacement crisis in Sudan the largest in African history.
The Geneina massacre, also the Battle of Geneina, was a series of major battles for control of Geneina, the capital of West Darfur in Sudan, between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and allied militias against Masalit self-defense militias and the Sudanese Alliance. The battles primarily lasted between April 24 and June 14, 2023, with major attacks and massacres by the RSF and allied militias on Masalit civilians in the city. After the killing of West Darfur governor Khamis Abakar on June 14, thousands of Masalit civilians were slaughtered in the city between June 14 and June 22 by the RSF and allied militias.
The following is a timeline of the Sudanese civil war (2023–present) in 2023.
The Battle of Nyala was a battle for control of Nyala, the capital of South Darfur in Sudan, between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), and the Sudanese Armed Forces during the ongoing Darfur campaign. The first battle occurred between 15 and 20 April 2023, during which hundreds were reported dead. A civilian-brokered ceasefire paused the fighting by April 20. Sporadic clashes broke out between May and July. In August 2023, the RSF launched an offensive on the city. The SAF launched air campaigns against the RSF in Nyala, with many civilian casualties in Taiba and El Matar. In late September, the RSF besieged the headquarters the SAF's 16th Infantry Division headquarters, capturing it on October 26.
The humanitarian crisis following the 2023 Sudan conflict was further exacerbated by the violence occurring during a period of high temperatures, drought and the conflict starting during the latter part of the fasting month of Ramadan. Most residents were unable to venture outside of their homes to obtain food and supplies for fear of getting caught in the crossfire. A doctors' group said that hospitals remained understaffed and were running low on supplies as wounded people streamed in. The World Health Organization recorded around 26 attacks on healthcare facilities, some of which resulted in casualties among medical workers and civilians. The Sudanese Doctors' Union said more than two-thirds of hospitals in conflict areas were out of service with 32 forcibly evacuated by soldiers or caught in the crossfire. The United Nations reported that shortages of basic goods, such as food, water, medicines and fuel have become "extremely acute". The delivery of badly-needed remittances from overseas migrant workers was also halted after Western Union announced it was closing all operations in Sudan until further notice.
The siege of El Fasher is an ongoing battle for control of the town of El Fasher in North Darfur during the Sudan conflict. The first battle for the city took place between 15 and 20 April 2023, and resulted in a ceasefire that held until 12 May. Clashes broke out again between 12 and 29 May, and ended with a more stable ceasefire that lasted until August. By September, the city had become a haven for refugees across the region, without enough food and water.
The siege of El Obeid was a siege in El-Obeid, North Kordofan, Sudan, during the 2023 Sudan conflict. The battle began on April 15, and saw the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) capture the El Obeid airport from the Sudanese Army contingent in the city. Throughout April and May, the Sudanese Army repelled several RSF assaults on the city, although by May 30, the RSF fully surrounded the city and laid siege to it.
The Battle of Kutum was a conflict during the War in Sudan which occurred in and around the town of Kutum in North Darfur. The Rapid Support Forces quickly overran the city, and carried out massacres in the city and the neighboring Kassab IDP camp. The group then attacked neighboring villages in early June.
The Battle of Kadugli is an ongoing siege in Kaduqli, South Kordofan State, Sudan, during the current Sudanese civil war. It involves two unaligned rebel factions, the SPLM-N and the Rapid Support Forces, that are trying to capture the city from the Sudanese Armed Forces.
The civil war in Sudan, which started on 15 April 2023, has seen widespread war crimes committed by both the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), with the RSF being singled out by the Human Rights Watch, and the United Kingdom and United States governments for committing ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity.
The following lists events during 2024 in the Republic of the Sudan.
El Tagola, or Al-Takula, is a village in South Kordofan, Sudan. It's known for its gold mines that used toxic cyanide for extraction. There have been reports of protests and conflicts in the area related to the mining activities.
The following is a timeline of the Sudanese civil war (2023–present) in 2024.
In 2024, the North African country of Sudan experienced flooding caused by heavy rainfall. Flooding beginning in July caused the deaths of at least twelve people, with seven more people injured and at least 12,506 people in total affected.
The Zamzam refugee camp is one of the largest internally displaced persons (IDP) camps in Sudan, located 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) south of Al-Fashir, North Darfur. It was established in 2004 to accommodate the massive influx of people displaced by the war in Darfur. As of now, the camp houses approximately 500,000 displaced individuals. In the light of the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), the camp is currently facing severe humanitarian challenges, including a catastrophic malnutrition crisis. Conditions have deteriorated to the point where famine-like situations have emerged, with reports of high child mortality rates, and experts describe the crisis as man-made and preventable.
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