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Sudan Crisis: 25 Million in Need, 8 Million Displaced, Famine Fears

Sudanese refugees collecting water from a well on the Sudanese-Chadian border (EPA)
Sudanese refugees collecting water from a well on the Sudanese-Chadian border (EPA)
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Sudan Crisis: 25 Million in Need, 8 Million Displaced, Famine Fears

Sudanese refugees collecting water from a well on the Sudanese-Chadian border (EPA)
Sudanese refugees collecting water from a well on the Sudanese-Chadian border (EPA)

In Sudan, a year of conflict has turned lives upside down, with thousands killed and millions forced to leave their homes. Many seek refuge in neighboring countries like Chad, South Sudan, and Egypt.

The crisis threatens Sudan’s stability and risks spreading unrest across the region. While global attention focuses elsewhere, officials warn of the urgent need for action.

Reflecting on the crisis, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the US Ambassador to the United Nations, condemned the silence surrounding Sudan, emphasizing the urgent need for international action.

Similarly, the UN’s humanitarian coordinator described the suffering as unimaginable, emphasizing the need for diplomacy, aid access, and funding to prevent further catastrophe as the conflict enters its second year.

Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths highlighted the escalating hardships stemming from violence, hunger, displacement, and disease, warning that without expanded efforts in three key areas—diplomacy to halt fighting, access to those in need, and funding for humanitarian response—the situation could deteriorate further as the conflict enters its second year.

This stark assessment underscores the critical importance of immediate and concerted international intervention to avert a worsening humanitarian catastrophe in Sudan.

In Sudan, over 15,000 have lost their lives in the ongoing conflict.

According to Linda-Greenfield, around 25 million Sudanese urgently need humanitarian aid, with three-quarters struggling to find enough food. About 8 million have been forced from their homes, making it the world's largest internal displacement crisis.

The UN warns of a looming catastrophe, with Sudan facing the biggest displacement crisis globally and potentially one of the worst hunger crises.

Roughly 18 million are severely food insecure, with nearly 5 million on the edge of famine in conflict zones. Additionally, 3.5 million children suffer from acute malnutrition.

The World Health Organization fears 230,000 children, pregnant women, and new mothers could die in the next few months without immediate aid and funding.

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Pineapple Is the New Potato: Imported Fruits Back in Syria 

A man holds two pineapples at a stall that sells fruits, some of which were not available while deposed President Bashar al-Assad was in power, like kiwi, mango and pineapple, in the Shalaan Market in the Syrian capital Damascus on May 26, 2025. (AFP)
A man holds two pineapples at a stall that sells fruits, some of which were not available while deposed President Bashar al-Assad was in power, like kiwi, mango and pineapple, in the Shalaan Market in the Syrian capital Damascus on May 26, 2025. (AFP)
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Pineapple Is the New Potato: Imported Fruits Back in Syria 

A man holds two pineapples at a stall that sells fruits, some of which were not available while deposed President Bashar al-Assad was in power, like kiwi, mango and pineapple, in the Shalaan Market in the Syrian capital Damascus on May 26, 2025. (AFP)
A man holds two pineapples at a stall that sells fruits, some of which were not available while deposed President Bashar al-Assad was in power, like kiwi, mango and pineapple, in the Shalaan Market in the Syrian capital Damascus on May 26, 2025. (AFP)

After decades of poverty and isolation under the Assad dynasty, imported fruits like pineapples, kiwis and mangoes are available again in Syria's bustling markets, making mouths water and eyes twinkle.

Fruits that were once designated luxury items, meaning they were accessible only to Syria's wealthiest, are now as common as potatoes or onions, cooking staples for many of the country's population.

"We used to smuggle them in," said 46-year-old fruit vendor Marwan Abu Hayla with a big smile as he displayed his produce at Damascus's Shaalan market.

Grocers used to face fines and even imprisonment for importing exotic fruits.

But now "we do not hide pineapples anymore -- we can put them on display", Abu Hayla told AFP, adding: "The era of pineapple-phobia is over."

One kilogram of pineapple used to cost around 300,000 Syrian pounds (around $23) before an opposition offensive ousted leader Bashar al-Assad in December after nearly 14 years of civil war.

That has now plummeted to a much sweeter price of around 40,000 pounds, about $4.

"We used to smuggle (the fruit) with the help of taxi drivers -- just like petrol and diesel," Abu Hayla said of other commodities which Syrians used to bring in illicitly from neighboring Lebanon when supplies were scarce under Assad.

Now "pineapples are like potatoes and onions", he added, as potential customers eyed the ripe fruit.

- Bananas -

Buyers and sellers linked the fruits' newfound presence to developments including the free availability of the US dollar since Assad's ousting. Trading in the currency was previously punishable by law.

Other signs of change include new cars on the streets and more abundant fuel supplies.

The late Syrian president Hafez al-Assad imposed heavy state control over the economic system, which isolated the country from global trade.

His son and successor Bashar kept up the system to maintain the clan's iron-fisted rule until he was overthrown in December.

Fruit seller Ahmed al-Hareth, 45, said tropical fruit -- even bananas -- used to cost the equivalent of a public employee's monthly salary.

Customs authorities and security forces would raid stores, further fueling a limited black-market fruit trade.

Medical student Nour Abed al-Jabbar, 24, said she "used to see tropical fruit on screens more often than in markets".

One problem with that: some Syrians who have never had a pineapple before just don't know how to cut it.

"Pineapple is for everyone -- even if some people don't know how to peel it," Jabbar said.

However, many people still struggle to buy the fruit in a country whose economy has been ravaged by years of conflict and sanctions, and where 90 percent of the people live in poverty.

Housewife Ilham Amin, 50, said she had noticed grocery stores becoming more colorful, which "tempts customers to buy".

But she steers her children away from the tantalizing new fruit as she cannot afford it.

"Living conditions are tough, and pineapple is a luxury for a family like ours," she said.