More than 10.9 million people in Sudan suffer from extreme famine, about 30% of its population, a figure that had not been seen in the last decade and that will be worsened by the effects of the war in Ukraine, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) warned today.
The armed conflicts that devastate the country, the drought, the effects of the pandemic, the economic instability in the region and the pests that affect the crops are the main causes of the food crisis suffered by the population of Sudan.
This situation is being aggravated by the effects of the war in Ukraine and its impact on the supply chain, specifically in the cut off of wheat supplies, which have caused a 180% increase in local prices of this cereal compared to the year past, the FAO explained in a statement.
Faced with this crisis, the United Nations agency has launched an aid package to “restore food security and nutrition to the affected farming communities.”
This $12 million fund, financed by the United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), will be invested in emergency supplies such as seeds, animal vaccines and tools, among others.
Specifically, close to 180,000 agricultural households and 900,000 people, among the population of the most vulnerable regions, will receive this aid that will allow them to prepare for the June planting and make their production system more resilient.
To assist the rest of the population living in a food emergency situation, the FAO recalled that another 35 million dollars are needed to reach all those affected before the situation worsens influenced by the international market.