On May 31, 2024, heads of multiple United Nations agencies issued an urgent call for unrestricted humanitarian access across Sudan, warning that time is running out to avert widespread famine. The joint statement from the UN Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) emphasized the dire consequences of continued obstruction of humanitarian efforts, stating, “If we are prevented from providing aid rapidly and at scale, more people will die.”

The IASC, the highest-level humanitarian coordination forum within the UN system, includes leaders from 19 organizations, some of which operate outside the UN. This plea underscores the gravity of the crisis unfolding in Sudan, where conflict between the regular army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), ongoing since April last year, has created a catastrophic humanitarian situation.

The statement from UN agency chiefs, including UN aid chief Martin Griffiths, highlighted the alarming statistics: 18 million people are acutely hungry, and 3.6 million children are severely malnourished. The conflict has displaced nearly two million people to neighboring countries and millions more within Sudan. With famine looming, the IASC warned of a “nightmare scenario” where hunger, disease, and displacement could become even more widespread.

“Without an immediate and major step change, we will face a nightmare scenario: A famine will take hold in large parts of the country. More people will flee to neighboring countries in........

© Blitz