As Famine Worsens in Sudan, Aid Cuts Loom |
Welcome to Foreign Policy’s Africa Brief.
The highlights this week: Aid in Sudan is in jeopardy as the country faces worsening famine, Kenya’s high court suspends the country’s $2.5 billion health deal with the United States, and tensions simmer ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations.
Welcome to Foreign Policy’s Africa Brief.
The highlights this week: Aid in Sudan is in jeopardy as the country faces worsening famine, Kenya’s high court suspends the country’s $2.5 billion health deal with the United States, and tensions simmer ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations.
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As famine spreads across Sudan, the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) has announced that it will need to cut back on its operations in the country due to a lack of funding.
On Friday, the WFP said that starting next month, it will be forced to reduce rations to “the absolute minimum for survival,” or 70 percent for those already facing famine and 50 percent for those at risk of famine. The U.N. agency also said that it requires nearly $700 million over the next six months to sustain its work.
Humanitarian aid groups have long warned of worsening famine as atrocities have mounted in Sudan since civil war broke out between the Sudanese military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in April 2023.
Last month, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) confirmed famine in Sudan for the second time in less than a year, noting that an estimated 21.2 million people—nearly half of the population—face acute food insecurity.
The IPC’s latest analysis found evidence of famine in the cities of El Fasher and Kadugli and warned of an imminent risk of famine in 20 other areas.
Kadugli is in the South Kordofan region, where drone attacks over the weekend on a U.N. logistics base killed six peacekeepers. The Sudanese military has blamed the attack on the RSF, which is currently fighting to seize control of the region.
“Civilians across South Kordofan are facing violence, hunger, and displacement that are worsening by the day. Fighting along key trade routes has cut families off from food, water, and medicine, and what little remains is now priced far beyond reach for most people,” Miji Park, Mercy Corps’ interim country director for Sudan, said on Tuesday.
The RSF has also been accused of........