World paid little attention to Sudan's war for a year. Now aid groups warn of mass death from hunger
CTV
The war in Sudan has been overshadowed by the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza Strip. But relief workers warn Sudan is hurtling towards an even larger-scale calamity of starvation, with potential mass death in coming months.
On a clear night a year ago, a dozen heavily armed fighters broke into Omaima Farouq's house in an upscale neighbourhood in the Sudanese capital of Khartoum. At gunpoint, they whipped and slapped the woman, and terrorized her children. Then they expelled them from the fenced two-story house.
"Since then, our life has been ruined," said the 45-year-old schoolteacher. "Everything has changed in this year."
Farouq, who is a widow, and her four children now live in a small village outside the central city of Wad Madani, 136 kilometres (85 miles) southeast of Khartoum. They depend on aid from villagers and philanthropists since international aid groups can't reach the village.
Sudan has been torn by war for a year now, ever since simmering tensions between its military and the notorious paramilitary Rapid Support Forces exploded into street clashes in the capital Khartoum in mid-April 2023. The fighting rapidly spread across the country.
The conflict has been overshadowed by the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza Strip, which since October has caused a massive humanitarian crisis for Palestinians and a threat of famine in the territory.
But relief workers warn Sudan is hurtling towards an even larger-scale calamity of starvation, with potential mass death in coming months. Food production and distribution networks have broken down and aid agencies are unable to reach the worst-stricken regions. At the same time, the conflict has brought widespread reports of atrocities including killings, displacement and rape, particularly in the area of the capital and the western region of Darfur.
Justin Brady, head of the UN humanitarian coordination office for Sudan, warned that potentially tens or even hundreds of thousands could die in coming months from malnutrition-related causes.
