GENEVA (Reuters) – Sudan is facing a hunger emergency amid its ongoing civil war, aid agencies warned on Tuesday, saying the international community had failed to act on it.
A statement issued today by the Norwegian Refugee Council and other partners said: “We cannot be clearer: Sudan is suffering from a famine crisis of historic proportions, yet the sound of silence is deafening.”
Whether Sudan is suffering from what experts have described as famine is complicated, but aid agencies believe the world cannot wait for a formal announcement before releasing more aid.
“People are starving to death every day, yet the focus remains on semantic controversy and legal nomenclature,” the statement said.
Famine criteria include four out of every ten thousand children dying of starvation every day, or more than 30% of the population undernourished.
This is difficult to determine in conflict situations, as in Sudan, where obstacles hamper the work of relief organizations, which cannot reach everyone.
(dpa)
