Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Mark Townsend

UK aid budget to Sudan set to double amid famine fears

Sudanese refugees displaced by the civil war receive food and water from aid agencies at a camp in eastern Chad.
Sudanese refugees displaced by the civil war receive food and water from aid agencies at a camp in eastern Chad. Photograph: Jsarh Ngarndey Ulrish/AP

Ministers have announced a doubling of aid to Sudan in response to deepening concern that the country is heading towards a famine worse than the one witnessed in Ethiopia 40 years ago.

Assistance worth £113m has been agreed for the war-torn state and neighbouring countries amid fears that Sudan’s death toll through starvation could ultimately exceed the Ethiopian famine that, according to UN estimates, caused a million deaths between 1983 and 1985. A ruinous civil war between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has seen starvation repeatedly used as a weapon, with aid deliveries blocked by both sides.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.