By: Modupe Adeniyi. Freelance Health Reporter.
Partial map of Africa showing the location of Sudan. click on image toe nlarge.
MONDAY, JULY 1, 2024. Sudan is facing an unprecedented food security crisis that threatens the lives of millions. According to the latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) analysis, conducted between late April and early June 2024, more than 25 million Sudanese - over half the country's population - face acute levels of food insecurity. This represents the worst levels of acute food insecurity ever recorded by the IPC in Sudan.
The situation is dire with 755,000 people experiencing catastrophic levels of food insecurity and 8.5 million facing large food shortages accompanied by high levels of malnutrition. Alarmingly, 14 states contain clusters of internally displaced people and refugees who are at risk of famine.
This stark deterioration in food security is a rapid decline from the previous IPC update released in December 2023. The crisis has been fueled by a variety of factors including significant escalation and expansion of conflict among armed factions, a rise in organized violence, massive displacement, disruption of basic health services and hindered humanitarian access.
The health implications of this crisis extend far beyond hunger. Nutritional deficiencies make people increasingly vulnerable to disease, particularly children, for whom the combination of malnutrition and disease can prove fatal. Hence, urgent action is ongoing to prevent famine through the restoration of humanitarian access and protection of health facilities and workers.
The international community faces a critical test as this disaster unfolds as immediate and coordinated action is essential to address the crisis and save lives.
The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) is a crucial tool in assessing and responding to food crises worldwide. It is a multi-partner initiative that brings together governments, UN agencies, NGOs and civil society to determine the severity and magnitude of food insecurity and malnutrition using internationally recognized standards.
For this analysis, over 70 experts from various sectors collaborated between April 21 and June 13, 2024. The assessment covered three periods: April-May 2024 (current), June-September 2024 (first projection) and October 2024-February 2025 (second projection).
The World Health Organization (WHO), as an IPC partner provided crucial health-related data and supported the development of Sudan's Nutrition Vulnerability Analysis and SMART survey which were used as sources for this analysis.
As Sudan teeters on the brink of widespread famine, the crisis shows the fragility between conflict, food security and public health. The world's response to this emergency will be a testament to our collective commitment to human rights and global solidarity.
Source: World Health Organization Newsroom.
Published: July 1, 2024
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