Do Sudan’s disturbances foreshadow a humanitarian crisis in East Africa?
“The World Food Program (WFP) has warned that the ongoing violence in Sudan could cause a humanitarian crisis for the entire East African region, where food prices have skyrocketed, similar price increases have been recorded in Chad and South Sudan, and both countries have taken in thousands of refugees since fighting began in Sudan two weeks ago.”
“One-third of Sudan’s population was already starving before the clashes began, now there is a shortage of everything,” Martin Frick, MSF’s Germany director, told DPA. “In South Sudan, which is facing floods in some areas and drought in others due to the climate crisis, food prices have risen by 28% in a short period.”
The crisis is exacerbated by the tense situation in the Horn of Africa, where food supplies have been stretched by the 6 bad rainy seasons.
Fighting between the Sudanese army led by Abdul Fattah al-Burhan and the Rapid Support Forces led by Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, known as “Hemeti”, has been ongoing since April 15. The generals have assumed power in the country, which has a population of about 46 million, through two coups in 2019 and 2021. Hundreds of people have been killed since the fighting began, and thousands have fled the country
Governments from around the world have begun organizing evacuation missions for their citizens from Sudan.
According to Frick, refugees who have taken refuge in Sudan, pregnant women and malnourished children, will have nothing left without WFP support, adding that “once the security situation improves, aid will be resumed.”
EU Humanitarian Commissioner Yannis Lenarcis said in remarks published Sunday in the German newspaper Welt am Sonntag that there is a “real risk of the crisis spreading to neighboring countries.”
The European Commissioner predicted an escalation in the situation in Sudan, which is living in difficult conditions even before the current crisis broke out. There is a serious shortage of potable water, food, medicine, and fuel, he said.
The Sudan Doctors Syndicate (SMS) said on Sunday that the number of victims of clashes between the army and the rapid support forces rose to 425 civilian deaths and 2,091 injuries.
The syndicate said in a post on its Facebook page: Clashes are still ongoing between the two sides, and have resulted in more victims, which are still being counted in the capital and regions. Some many injuries and deaths are not covered by this census, she said, noting that hospitals are inaccessible due to the difficult mobility and the security situation in the country.
