WFP Calls for International Support as Sudan Edges Toward Famine
(MENAFN) The World Food Program (WFP) issued an urgent appeal on Tuesday for increased international assistance in Sudan, where a civil war that erupted in 2023 continues to devastate the nation. The agency warned that famine is nearing in several regions, and critical humanitarian efforts are faltering due to a dire lack of funding.
During a press conference at the United Nations headquarters in Geneva, Laurent Bukera, WFP’s Sudan representative and country director, emphasized the need for immediate global action. "This is the moment to stand with the Sudanese people as they rebuild their lives, communities, and hope after two years of devastating conflict," he stated.
Bukera, recently returned from Khartoum, revealed that WFP has set up a new field office in Omdurman to reestablish operations close to impacted populations.
"The needs are immense," he said, noting widespread devastation, an active cholera outbreak, and entire neighborhoods that now resemble "ghost cities."
In the past six months alone, the WFP has delivered food and nutritional support to nearly 1 million people in Khartoum, Bukera reported. But he cautioned that "several areas in the south of the city are at high risk of famine," and underscored the urgency of sustaining aid efforts.
Nationwide, the WFP is now reaching 4 million people each month—nearly quadruple the number from early 2024—thanks to improved access. The agency aims to scale up to reach 7 million people.
Despite this progress, Bukera warned that operations remain heavily underfunded.
"Oil and pulses have been removed from the food basket due to a lack of resources," he said, stressing that the WFP requires over $500 million within the next six months to continue providing emergency food and cash aid.
Furthermore, he condemned a surge in violence targeting aid workers, referencing a recent deadly attack on a joint WFP-UNICEF convoy near El Fasher.
"These attacks must stop immediately," he noted. "Above all, the only solution is peace."
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