Cairo ( Associated Press) – One-third of Sudan’s population is currently facing a food crisis due to the combined effects of climate shocks, political turmoil and rising food prices around the world, the UN food agency said.
A joint report by the World Food Program (WFP) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations indicated that 1.5 million people in the East African country’s 18 provinces face acute food insecurity.
“The combined effects of conflict, climate shocks, economic and political crises, rising costs and crop failures are pushing millions of people into hunger and poverty,” said WFP representative in Sudan, Eddie Rowe.
A military coup in October decimated an already fragile economy, and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine exacerbated the economic problem.
According to the report, funding levels to meet humanitarian needs are low in Sudan, where 40% of the population is expected to be food insecure by September.
“We must act now to stop rising levels of hunger and save the lives of those already affected,” Rowe reiterated.
The military takeover on 25 October dealt a blow to Sudan’s transition to a democratic government after three decades of repression and international isolation under autocratic President Omar al-Bashir. Sudan has been on a delicate path to democracy since a popular uprising in April 2019 forced the military to oust al-Bashir and his Islamic government.
The coup also halted two years of efforts by the deposed civilian government to reform the economy with billions of dollars in loans and aid from major Western governments and international financial institutions. Such support was suspended after the coup.
