6.3mln people threatened with famine in conflict-torn Sudan: UN
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As the rivals continue to wreak havoc across the country, more than half the population in West Darfur is now "facing acute hunger."
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People carry buckets as they make their way to fill up on water in Omdurman on July 16, 2023, as fighting continues in conflict-torn Sudan. (AFP)
Conflict-torn Sudan is facing an impending famine as food supplies are obstructed and millions are forced to be displaced, the UN said on Wednesday.
"Over 20.3 million people, representing more than 42 percent of the population in the country, are experiencing high levels of acute food insecurity," the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization said.
Just a year ago, that number was half what it is now -- right before the conflict broke out between the Sudanese armed forces led by Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) led by Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo.
In light of the course of current events, "6.3 million people are one step away from famine," the UN said on Wednesday.
As the conflict continues to wreak havoc on the country's critical infrastructure, impeding agriculture and obstructing the delivery of humanitarian aid, more than half the population in West Darfur is now "facing acute hunger."
In comparison to other provinces in the country, West Darfur has witnessed some of the worst battles, where civilians are targeted for their ethnicity and where sexual violence is happening on a frequent basis
🚨News alert: Conflict & economic decline push the number of highly food insecure people in #Sudan past 20 million
— UN OCHA Sudan (@UNOCHA_Sudan) August 2, 2023
❗️6.3 million people are one step away from famine
❗️42% of the population in high levels of acute #foodinsecurity
More from @theIPCinfo➡️ https://t.co/5R4MjNcKYn pic.twitter.com/dNEm23RqJr
Four million displaced
The latest data from the International Organization for Migration reveals that over three million people have been internally displaced.
Nearly a million are recorded to have fled across Sudan's borders.
IOM data also reveal that an estimated two million have fled Khartoum alone, which accounts for 40 percent of the population prior to the conflict.
Read more: Sudan's Neighbors to launch national talks, find political solutions
The country has been plagued by turmoil since 2019 after former President Omar Al-Bashir was deposed.
The RSF, which has positioned itself as the savior of democracy, has repeatedly accused the army of trying to reinstate the deposed leader.
Heavy fighting broke out in mid-April as a result of a power struggle between Al-Burhan and Dagalo.
On Wednesday, an army spokesperson announced in a televised address that "dozens from the rebel militia" had been "killed and wounded" in an airstrike in southern Khartoum.
On the same note, the RSF said in a statement on Wednesday that the army was "covering up" the activities of officials working for Al-Bashir and accused the army of protecting members of the old guard who had escaped from prison early in the war, "with the express goal of again seizing the mantle of power in our country."
Read more: Sudanese Army halts negotiations in Jeddah citing lack of agreement
