18 million people facing acute food insecurity in Sudan: UN

March 13, 2024 (NEW YORK) – Sudan is on track to becoming the world’s largest hunger crisis, with 18 million people already facing acute food insecurity, the United Nations said on Wednesday.

There are fears the number will surge when the lean season arrives in the coming months.

According to the UN and its partners working on nutrition, some 220,000 severely malnourished children while more than 7,000 new mothers could reportedly die in the coming months if they do not receive urgent assistance.

There were child deaths related to malnutrition, including at displacement sites in Darfur.

Across Sudan, some 3.7 million children suffer from malnutrition, UN and its partners said. Many are unable to access treatment, especially those in the difficult to reach areas.

Meanwhile, the UN has called for for rapid and unfettered humanitarian access to people in need across the country, including those held behind conflict lines.

It reiterated earlier appeals for silencing of guns during the holy month of Ramadan.

The UN recently launched a humanitarian appeal for $2.7 billion for Sudan alone.

(ST)