High risk of famine south of Khartoum, says WFP

GENEVA - Areas south of Khartoum, war-ravaged Sudan's capital, are at high risk of famine, the UN's World Food Programme warned Tuesday, appealing for funds to plug a huge food aid shortfall.

Laurent Bukera, WFP's Sudan representative and country director, said the agency had found "severe" levels of hunger in Jabal Awliya, a town around 40 kilometres (25 miles) south of Khartoum.

Bukera was speaking after returning from Khartoum State, where WFP opened a new office in Omdurman, a part of greater Khartoum.

"The needs are immense," he told a press briefing in Geneva, speaking from Port Sudan.
"We saw widespread destruction, limited access to water, healthcare and electricity, and a cholera outbreak. In parts of the city, life is returning -- but many neighbourhoods remain abandoned, like a ghost city".

Sudan's regular army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have been locked in a battle for power since April 2023.

Tens of thousands of people have died and 13 million have been displaced, including four million abroad, triggering what the UN has called the world's worst humanitarian crisis.

"WFP is deeply concerned, and meeting basic needs -- especially food -- is critical and urgent," said Bukera.

The RSF lost control of Khartoum in March.

"Several areas in the south of the city are at high risk of famine," Bukera said.

The WFP now has access to the area and can make regular aid deliveries and said it was doing everything to bring the local population back from the brink of famine.

"The level of hunger, destitution and desperation" at the first distributions in Jabal Awliya last month was "severe, and basically confirmed the risk of famine in those areas," Bukera said.

"The international community must act now -- by stepping up funding to stop famine in the hardest-hit areas and to invest in Sudan's recovery."

Funding shortfall

Famine has been declared in five areas across Sudan, including three displacement camps near El-Fasher in the southwest.

It has been all but confirmed in El-Fasher itself, where aid agencies say a lack of access to data has prevented an official famine declaration.

On June 2, five aid workers were killed in an attack on a 15-truck convoy heading to the besieged city, in an area controlled by the RSF.

Across the country, nearly 25 million people are suffering dire food insecurity.
WFP is now reaching four million people per month in Sudan -- a near four-fold increase since the start of 2024.

It aims to reach seven million monthly, prioritizing areas facing famine or at extreme risk.

Bukera said WFP was short of more than $500 million for emergency food and cash assistance over the coming six months -- and short of $700 million overall, across all its operations in Sudan.

With displaced people expected to return to heavily-damaged areas like Khartoum, the pressure on already over-stretched resources will likely intensify.

Bukera said WFP already could not deliver nutritional supplements to young children or pregnant and nursing mothers due to a lack of resources.

"Without urgent support, we cannot deliver the full package that people need as they return to Khartoum," he said.

Bukera said food could bring an element of stability in Khartoum and "anchor the peace".

"This is the moment to stand with the Sudanese people as they rebuild their lives... after two years of devastating conflict, we see light at the end of the tunnel."