Food aid is on its way to a region of Sudan facing famine in the middle of conflict in northeastern Sudan, several countries and the United Nations said in a joint statement on Friday.
The statement came at the end of more than a week of talks in Geneva, Switzerland, aimed at calming the conflict but which failed to bring the warring parties to an agreement. The talks were held as the humanitarian crisis in the country worsened.
Last month, global experts said hunger in a large camp for displaced people in Sudan’s Darfur region had developed into famine. Experts on the Famine Review Commission warned that some 25.6 million people, more than half of Sudan’s population, would face severe hunger.
On Friday, aid trucks were “delivering famine relief to Zamzam camp and other areas of Darfur,” according to a joint statement from the United States, Switzerland, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, the African Union, and the United Nations. “These routes must remain open and safe so that we can deliver aid to Darfur and begin to turn the tide on famine.”
International experts use established criteria to confirm famine. Formal declarations of famine are usually made by countries themselves or the United Nations.
The last time aid workers were able to deliver humanitarian relief to civilians trapped in camps in Darfur was in April.
Talks began on August 14 with the aim of achieving a ceasefire. But one side of the civil war, the Sudanese military, did not send a delegation. The other side, the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), sent a delegation to the city but did not appear to be present in person. During their absence, diplomats worked to deliver food, medicine, and basic aid to areas that had become difficult to access due to conflict.
According to the statement, the organization has received “assurances from both sides of the conflict that safe and unobstructed humanitarian access will be provided via two main arterial roads.” Due to the recent flooding, aid delivery is expected to face significant challenges in the coming weeks.
Since the country went to war in April 2023, both sides have accused each other of attacking civilians and obstructing aid deliveries. Tensions between the military and the Rapid Security Forces escalated into open fighting in the capital, Khartoum, which spread throughout the country.
The conflict has killed thousands of people and left many hungry. The United Nations and international human rights organizations say the atrocities, which include mass rape and ethnic cleansing, constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity.
There is also growing concern about a new cholera outbreak. The World Health Organization reported Friday that more than 650 cases and 28 deaths had been reported in five states in the month since the first suspected case of cholera was reported.
According to the report, the disease spreads due to flooding and poor water supply, sanitation, and hygiene in displaced person camps and communities.
The WHO reported that an initial cholera vaccination campaign in Kassala, eastern Sudan, reached more than 50,000 people. The report stated that more than 450,000 doses of the oral cholera vaccine will be delivered soon.
Sudan’s war has resulted in the world’s largest displacement crisis. According to the International Organization for Migration, more than 10.7 million people have been displaced since the war began. More than 2 million people have fled to neighboring countries.
