Sudan Rejects UN-Backed Famine Report Amid Growing Hunger Crisis
Cairo: The Sudanese government has fiercely dismissed a UN-backed report declaring famine in five regions of the conflict-ridden nation, calling the findings speculative and flawed.
The report, published by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), highlighted famine conditions affecting 638,000 people and warned that 8.1 million more teeter on the brink of starvation. These figures stem from the devastating war between Sudan’s army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
Government Denies Crisis Claims
In a strongly worded statement, Sudan’s foreign ministry rejected the IPC’s conclusions, accusing the organization of failing to use current field data and neglecting consultation with government experts. “The IPC’s assessment is essentially speculative and lacks procedural transparency,” the ministry declared.
The government commissioner for humanitarian aid, Salwa Adam Benya, went further, branding the famine declaration a “fabrication” at a press conference in Port Sudan. She alleged that some aid organizations were exploiting food insecurity to advance political agendas.
Contradicting Alarms
This denial comes despite repeated warnings from UN agencies, humanitarian groups, and the United States about Sudan’s deepening hunger crisis. Earlier, the IPC had identified famine conditions in the Zamzam camp for displaced people near El-Fasher, a city in Darfur besieged by RSF forces.
While the IPC maintains that its analyses are neutral and evidence-based, the Sudanese government remains adamant that the claims are exaggerated and politically motivated.
A Nation on the Brink
As Sudan battles ongoing conflict, the hunger crisis shows no signs of abating. However, the government’s staunch rejection of international findings has cast doubt on the path forward for relief efforts.
With millions at risk, the world watches to see whether aid organizations can navigate the political turbulence to address the urgent humanitarian needs in the region.
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