愛污传媒

Skip to main content

Some life-saving food assistance entered South Darfur, UN says, but aid groups say more is needed

Share
CAIRO -

South Darfur saw a slight increase in critical aid when the UN's World Food Program delivered life-saving food and nutrition to some families across the violence-riddled western Sudanese state, the organization said. But more assistance is needed, humanitarian organizations say.

The WFP mission in Sudan said Tuesday that more than 50,000 people in hunger hotspots across South Darfur are receiving much-needed food assistance in collaboration with relief agency World Vision.

WFP didn't give a time frame for when the aid was distributed or say how WFP delivered the supplies. Several spokespersons for the organization did not immediately respond to requests for additional information.

Famine looms in parts of Sudan, which has been engulfed by violence since April of last year, when tensions between leaders of the Sudanese military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces erupted into intense fighting and spread across the country, including to Darfur. The UN says over 14,000 people have been killed and 33,000 injured.

"The number of people in South Darfur that suffer from hunger is vast and on top of that, there is a significant shortage of funds," Yonas Mesele, deputy country director for Sudan with the French humanitarian organization Action Against Hunger, told The Associated Press on Wednesday.

Mesele said that of the estimated US$581.2 million needed to meet humanitarian needs in Sudan, only 26 per cent was secured, citing an announcement at a meeting for the Food Security and Livelihoods Cluster Coordination on June 13.

The fighting in Sudan has displaced over 4.6 million people, according to the UN migration agency, including more than 3.6 million who were internally displaced and over 1 million others who fled to neighbouring countries.

UN refugee chief Filippo Grandi, who on Wednesday concluded his second visit to Sudan since the outbreak of the war, warned that a terrible famine is looming and severe floods will soon hamper aid deliveries even more, UN deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said.

Grandi visited refugee camps and centers for displaced Sudanese and also warned that without concerted peace efforts many more people will flee the fighting, pointing to escalating violence in North Darfur's capital, El Fasher, and atrocities reportedly committed against civilians in Jazeera state, Haq said.

Some of the most brutal attacks since the conflict began have taken place in the vast western Darfur region. The population in the state of South Darfur is at risk of soon dying from hunger, a recent report by a Dutch think-tank warned.

The Clingendael Institute report said last month that around 2.5 million people in Sudan could die from hunger by the end of September 2024, with about 15 per cent of the population in the regions of Darfur and Kordofan being likely the worst affected.

"Time is running out to avoid a rapid deterioration of the conflict-induced food insecurity crisis," Samy Guessabi, country director for Sudan with Action Against Hunger, told the AP. "The international community and the parties to the conflict must take immediate action to alleviate hunger and prevent a catastrophic malnutrition emergency."

In May, the WFP said in a report that at least 1.7 million people are already experiencing emergency levels of hunger in Darfur, including in Al Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state that is besieged by RSF.

Despite the "devastating levels of hunger" that civilians are facing in the greater Darfur region, deliveries of food assistance have been "intermittent due to fighting and endless bureaucratic hurdles," WFP said.

In April, the UN said it started distributing food in Darfur for the first time in months.

CTVNews.ca Top Stories

Trump's Madison Square Garden event features crude and racist insults

Donald Trump took the stage Sunday night at New York鈥檚 Madison Square Garden to deliver his campaign's closing argument with the election nine days away after several of his allies used crude and racist insults toward U.S. Vice-President Kamala Harris and other critics of the former president.

The majority of mail-in ballots tallied this weekend for the final count in B.C.鈥檚 nail-bitingly close 2024 provincial election went to the NDP, increasing the party鈥檚 chances of clinching a third term.

A pair of new pre-election polls indicate that the Saskatchewan NDP has a slight lead ahead of election day.

A 17-year-old Ottawa driver was caught speeding nearly 90 km/h over the speed limit on Highway 417.

Victor Garber got teary-eyed when he walked into a brunch in his honour Sunday in London, Ont.

Local Spotlight

The Westfield & District Recreation Association hosted its first Witches and Warlocks on the Water event Saturday, with costumed paddlers in pointed hats launching from Westfield Beach.

A new resident at a Manitoba animal rescue has waddled her way into people's hearts.

Hundreds of people ran to the music of German composer and pianist Beethoven Wednesday night in a unique race in Halifax.

He is a familiar face to residents of a neighbourhood just west of Roncesvalles Avenue.

A meteor lit up our region's sky last night 鈥 with a large fireball shooting across the horizon over Lake Erie at around 7:00 p.m.

Residents of Ottawa's Rideauview neighbourhood say an aggressive wild turkey has become a problem.

A man who lost his life while trying to rescue people from floodwaters, and a 13-year-old boy who saved his family from a dog attack, are among the Nova Scotians who received a medal for bravery Tuesday.

A newly minted Winnipegger is hoping a world record attempt will help bring awareness for the need for more pump track facilities in the city.

A Springfield, Ont. man is being hailed a 'hero' after running into his burning home to save his two infant children.