WHO: Lean Season Could Bring 'Catastrophic' Hunger in Sudan

Sudanese displaced by the war wait for water in Wad Madani © - / AFP
Sudanese displaced by the war wait for water in Wad Madani © - / AFP
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WHO: Lean Season Could Bring 'Catastrophic' Hunger in Sudan

Sudanese displaced by the war wait for water in Wad Madani © - / AFP
Sudanese displaced by the war wait for water in Wad Madani © - / AFP

Conflict-torn Sudan's summer months lean season could trigger catastrophic levels of hunger, with millions already struggling for food, the World Health Organization warned Tuesday.

Peter Graaff, acting WHO representative to Sudan, warned that a "perfect storm" was brewing with people, weakened by hunger, falling pray to infectious diseases -- in a health system which has virtually collapsed amid the fighting.

The lean season, roughly from April to July, sees food prices run high as stocks dwindle ahead of the next harvest.

War that broke out in April last year between Sudan's army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, his former deputy and commander of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, has killed thousands and sparked a humanitarian disaster.

Around 25 million people -- more than half the population -- need aid, including nearly 18 million who face acute food insecurity, according to UN numbers.

About five million people are already in emergency levels of hunger, Graaff told a briefing in Geneva.

"There is concern that the upcoming lean season will lead to catastrophic levels of hunger in the worst-affected areas," he said, via video-link from Cairo.

"Malnourished children are at increased risk of dying from illnesses like diarrhoea, pneumonia and measles, especially in a setting where they lack access to life-saving health services.

"The situation in Sudan is therefore a perfect storm," he said.

"The health system is hardly functional... and infectious diseases are spreading: over 10,000 cases of cholera have been reported, 5,000 cases of measles, about 8,000 cases of dengue, and over 1.2 million clinical cases of malaria."

The fighting has triggered a rapid displacement crisis, with 1.8 million people having fled across the borders, and 6.1 million displaced within the country.

"I have witnessed first-hand the displacement within Sudan and in neighbouring Chad. And what I have seen is alarming and heartbreaking," Graaff said, recounting people forced to walk for days, only to find shelter in overcrowded areas with little food, water and sanitation.

"The people of Sudan are facing a life-or-death situation due to the continued violence, insecurity, and limited access to essential health services and supplies," Graaff said.

"And there seems to be little hope of a political solution in sight."

He called for safe and unhindered access in order to provide life-saving health services and supplies.



Jordanian Government: Supporting Palestine Should Not Come at Expense of National Stability

Jordan’s Minister of Government Communication Mohammad Momani (X)
Jordan’s Minister of Government Communication Mohammad Momani (X)
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Jordanian Government: Supporting Palestine Should Not Come at Expense of National Stability

Jordan’s Minister of Government Communication Mohammad Momani (X)
Jordan’s Minister of Government Communication Mohammad Momani (X)

Jordan’s Minister of Government Communication Mohammad Momani said on Saturday that supporting the Palestinian cause should not come at the expense of his country’s national stability but should be expressed through unity behind the Hashemite leadership, the Arab Army, and the security agencies.

Momani stressed that King Abdullah II’s positions in defending Palestinian rights and supporting steadfastness in the West Bank, Jerusalem, and Gaza remain firm, employing all political, diplomatic, and humanitarian tools, according to Jordan’s official news agency, Petra.

Momani, who is also the government spokesperson, said Jordan’s position on Palestine is clear and unwavering, centered on the right of Palestinians to self-determination and the establishment of an independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital.

He also stressed that Jordan’s support stems from religious, moral, and humanitarian obligations and that the creation of a Palestinian state is a vital national interest for Jordan.

On April 15, Jordan announced the arrest of 16 people for allegedly planning to target national security and sow “chaos.”

Amman said the suspects were arrested for “manufacturing rockets using local tools as well as tools imported for illegal purposes, possession of explosives and firearms, concealing a rocket ready to be deployed, planning to manufacture drones, and recruiting and training operatives in Jordan as well as training them abroad.”

Later, Interior Minister Mazen Fraya said Jordan outlawed the Muslim Brotherhood.

Fraya said all the activities of the group would be banned and anyone promoting its ideology would be held accountable by law.

The ban includes publishing anything by the group and closure and confiscation of all its offices and property, he added.