Aid groups press to stop Sudan 'man-made' famine as 755,000 projected to starve

Aid groups are warning that Sudan's "man-made famine" could be even worse than feared, with the most catastrophic death toll the world has seen in decades, without more global pressure on warring generals.

A U.N.-backed study said Thursday that 755,000 people are on the brink of starvation in Sudan, a death toll not seen since the 1980s when famine in Ethiopia shocked the world.

Barrett Alexander, the director of programs in Sudan for Mercy Corps, said even that figure could be an underestimate as the conflict has displaced farmers in the country's agricultural areas, raising fears for the next harvest.

"Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if it were a little bit higher than that number," he said of the projection by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification initiative, or IPC.

"We're seeing a man-made likely famine happen in front of our eyes that's primarily conflict-induced," Alexander, who is based in Port Sudan, told AFP on a visit to Washington.

The IPC said that nearly 26 million people — half of Sudan's population — were facing acute food insecurity with the 755,000 in catastrophic conditions, including around the capital Khartoum and Darfur, the scene of a scorched-earth military campaign two decades ago.

Fighting erupted in April 2023 between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces after a plan to integrate them failed, with the warring generals seizing territory.

Alexander said that both sides have imposed cumbersome levels of bureaucracy, including requiring permits of aid workers.

"Getting across the frontlines is nearly impossible," he said.

  Eating grass

Eatizaz Yousif, Sudan country director for the International Rescue...