Minister denies famine in Sudan

Sudan’s Acting Minister of Agriculture, Abubakr El Bishri, has denied that there are any signs of famine in the country, refuting reports by UN and other international organisations that at least a third of the Sudanese population are facing intense food shortages. El Bishri asserts that “all the talk about famine in Sudan is aimed at opening the borders to smuggle weapons and equipment to the rebel forces, and to pave the way for the entry of foreign forces,” which, he says “harms Sudan’s sovereignty”.

In an interview with AlJazeera.net yesterday, El Bishri accuses humanitarian organisations that are talking about the existence of famine in Sudan of conspiring against the country and denied that there are any signs of famine in Sudan.

The minister questions how those who prepared the reports of famine were able to gather information in light of the deteriorating security situation within the country, especially in areas under the control of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). El Bishri says said that the resources are available, “but the problem is in transporting them to the residents of the areas occupied by the Rapid Support Forces”.

In spite of the recent moves including the re-opening of the Adré border crossing from Chad to Sudan, the logistical challenges of getting supplies to those who need it most are confirmed by many stakeholders, and the RSF have been accused of obstructing relief traffic, and this week, the Darfur regional government accused the RSF of seizing relief supplies that entered the region.

However, minister El Bishri’s denial of famine in Sudan contradicts abundant independent data by international organisations including the UN ‘cluster’, and Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET), as well as witness reports from scores of Radio Dabanga listeners.

Following her visit to the Adré border crossing from Chad to Sudan on August 30, UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed called on the international community for solidarity to address the crises in Sudan and East Africa.

The Adré crossing is the most effective and shortest route to deliver humanitarian assistance into Sudan – and particularly the Darfur region – at the scale and speed required to respond to the immense hunger crisis.

“What we have to do is to match the openings of these borders with the aid that goes in, and that means resources,” she insisted, “and so we need those resources, and we need them now.”

The SPLM-N El Hilu last month announced famine in the areas under its control in in the Nuba Mountains in South Kordofan and the New Funj area in Blue Nile state. About 20 per cent of the households in these areas suffers from food shortages and about 30 per cent of the children is malnourished.

OCHA

In its Humanitarian Response Dashboard of July 2024 published today, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) By July 2024, more than 25 million people were facing acute hunger, including some 755,000 on the brink of famine. The situation is especially critical for those trapped in conflict-affected areas, particularly Darfur, Kordofan, Khartoum and El Gezira. The conflict continued to drive displacement with more than 10 million people having fled their homes including more than seven million since the conflict broke out in April 2023. This includes more than five million children – and over two million people who have crossed into neighbouring countries. At least two-thirds of Sudan’s 18 states are facing multiple disease outbreaks, including cholera, malaria and measles amid a collapsing public healthcare system.

Despite the limited funding and access restrictions, the United Nations and partners (153 entities) reached eight million people with some form of assistance. By the end of the July, the 2024 Sudan Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan (HNRP), was still less than 40 per cent funded of the $2.7 billion required. Humanitarian partners continued to call on donors to provide funding and enable them to ramp up famine prevention efforts.