Starvation in war-hit Sudan 'almost everywhere' - WHO

In Sudan, a country that has been deeply affected by war, the situation has become dire, with starvation reported in many areas. Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director-general of the World Health Organization, recently spoke to the BBC about his visit to Sudan and the alarming conditions he witnessed. He stated that the level of displacement in Sudan is now the highest in the world, with around 12 million people forced to leave their homes due to the ongoing conflict. Dr. Tedros expressed concern that the global community is not paying enough attention to the crisis in Sudan, suggesting that racial factors may be influencing this lack of awareness. Since the civil war erupted in April 2023 between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, thousands of lives have been lost. Dr. Tedros painted a grim picture of the situation, describing scenes of destruction, disease, and famine. He visited a camp for internally displaced persons and a hospital, where he saw many children suffering from severe malnutrition. He emphasized that nearly 25 million people, which is half of Sudan's population, are in need of urgent assistance. Dr. Tedros highlighted that Sudan is not receiving the attention it deserves, a sentiment he believes applies to other recent conflicts in Africa as well. He reflected on his own experiences growing up during a war in Ethiopia, recalling how his mother prayed for his survival each day. He sees similar struggles in Sudan and Gaza, where people are fighting for their lives. Following the invasion of Ukraine by Russia in 2022, Dr. Tedros noted that only a small fraction of the aid provided to Ukraine has been allocated to other humanitarian crises, including those in Tigray, Yemen, Afghanistan, and Syria. He urged mainstream media to focus more on the tragedy unfolding in Sudan. In August, a UN-backed committee of experts declared a famine at a camp housing approximately 500,000 displaced individuals near the besieged city of el-Fasher in Darfur, one of the regions hardest hit by the conflict. The leaders of the Sudanese army and the RSF, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, had previously collaborated in a coup in 2021 but later fell out, leading to the current civil war. The United Arab Emirates has been accused of supporting the RSF with financial and military aid, a claim it denies, while Saudi Arabia is believed to maintain close ties with the Sudanese government. Various mediation efforts, facilitated by Saudi Arabia and the United States, have failed to bring an end to the ongoing conflict.