GENEVA: UN experts on Thursday accused both sides in Sudan’s ongoing civil war of deliberately using “starvation tactics” against 25 million civilians, leaving 97 percent of the population facing severe hunger. The experts warned that Sudan is on the verge of experiencing one of the largest famines in modern history.
“Never in modern history have so many people faced starvation and famine as in Sudan today,” the experts said. They urged global attention to what they described as the “largest modern famine taking shape.”
The war, which erupted in April 2023, pits the Sudanese army, led by ruler Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, against the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), commanded by his former deputy, Mohamed Hamdan Daglo.
Both factions have been accused of committing war crimes, including targeting civilians and obstructing humanitarian aid.
A group of about a dozen independent UN experts, including the special rapporteurs on the right to food and safe drinking water, called for an immediate halt to the obstruction of aid.
“Both SAF and RSF, along with their foreign supporters, are responsible for what is an apparent deliberate use of starvation, constituting crimes against humanity and war crimes under international law,” they said in a statement.
The ongoing war has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced over 11 million people, with nearly three million seeking refuge in neighboring countries, according to the UN.
An estimated 26 million people in Sudan face severe food insecurity, with famine already declared at the Zamzam displacement camp in the western Darfur region. Other camps in the region are also at risk of famine, the experts warned.
Despite a reopening of the Adre crossing with Chad by Sudan’s army-aligned government, aid reaching the Darfur region remains insufficient to meet the population’s needs.
The situation has been further exacerbated by the rainy season, which has caused flooding and worsened agricultural damage, livestock losses, and water contamination.
The UN experts called for greater international funding, noting that the $1.44 billion required for Sudan’s humanitarian response plan this year is only half-funded. Without urgent action, they warned, the humanitarian crisis will continue to deepen, with millions at risk of starvation.
