Famine, floods and disease are adding to strife in conflict-torn Sudan, NGOs are warning. The Darfur region has been hit hard, especially in camps for displaced people.
The Zamzam camp for internally displaced people (IDPs) in North Darfur risks running out of a special type of food designed to treat malnourished children, a global food monitor said.
The Famine Review Committee (FRC) found that famine, confirmed when acute malnutrition and mortality criteria are met, was ongoing in Zamzam and likely to persist there at least until October.
The Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Achim Steiner, confirmed the famine in North Darfur and potentially 14 other areas within the country.
“Famine is not merely a likely and devastating future prospect, but an actual and cruel present reality in North Darfur,” he said.
The FRC report confirmed that famine conditions are prevalent in parts of North Darfur, including the Zamzam camp in El Fasher, with an estimated 500,000 people.
Sudan's authorities, however, deny the existence of famine in Zamzam.
Fears of disease
"The arrival of thousands of internally displaced people fleeing the city of Al Fasher to the Zamzam camp has led to people defecating in open latrines," Nathaniel Raymond, head of the Humanitarian Research Lab at Yale University, told RFI's Lucile Gimberg.
This means that the water from these floods has potentially come into contact with these contaminated areas.
The famine-stricken camp is also facing floods threatening to contaminate water and sanitation facilities, according to satellite imagery published on Friday. The floods have led to a significant new influx of displaced people.
Findings from Yale lab show that toilets and nine out of 13 water points have been inundated at the Zamzam camp, raising the risk of cholera and other diseases.
Floods are also affecting other regions of Sudan, including around Port-Sudan and in the province of Kassala, 500 kilometres south.
The NGO Doctors Without Borders is asking Sudanese authorities for access to help flood victims in the province of Kassala.
Houses have collapsed due to the floods, Prince Djuma Safari, MSF France medical coordinator in Sudan, told RFI.
The situation is also worrying in Kassala, where there are more than 76,000 displaced people.
"As displaced people, they already have a lot of problems: access to care, food and access to drinking water," he said.
'A disaster foretold'
Emmanuel Rink, from Solidarités internationale, told RFI: "The declaration of famine in Zamzam and by extension in the other displaced persons camps does not surprise us.
"The conditions have been there for a long time and we have observed the situation deteriorate sharply. It is truly a chronicle of a disaster foretold."
UNDP's Steiner further highlighted the dire circumstances faced by Sudanese communities, with 70 percent of rural households unable to cultivate land, a quarter unable to access markets due to safety concerns, and 43 percent unable to afford food even when available.
He stressed the urgent need for immediate and comprehensive humanitarian response, calling on all parties involved in the conflict to cease hostilities.
In addition to immediate food assistance, Steiner emphasised the importance of supporting livelihoods through investments in irrigation infrastructure, extension services, and resources for farmers.
He argued that this approach would address immediate needs and foster long-term sustainability and resilience within communities.
(with newswires)
