About ‘3.5 million food insecure’ people in Sudan

Reports indicate that about 3.5 million people are currently facing food insecurity in Sudan and that 80 percent of them are in the conflict-affected areas of Darfur, South Kordofan, Blue Nile, and Abyei. The USAID-funded Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET) that carried out the evaluation pointed to a decrease in levels of food insecurity in Sudan when compared to last year, probably because of “good harvest”, an OCHA report from February says.However, it stated that levels of food insecurity persist in South Kordofan, Blue Nile, Darfur (particularly in Jebel Marra and Jebel ‘Amer), and Abyei “due to the impacts of conflict on production, market access, and livelihood options”.Border crossing Meanwhile, the Humanitarian Affairs Commission (HAC) in Tullus, South Darfur, claims that some 37.500 Umbararo nomads are “unable to cross into South Sudan because the border between the two countries is closed”, according to OCHA.The nomads have reportedly settled in 13 locations in the Tullus and Dimso localities and are “in need of food and non-food relief supplies as well as health, water, and education services”.Humanitarian agencies warn the situation could lead to clashes between citizens residing in the region and the nomads, as quoted in the report.Radio Dabanga file photo