IRC: Sudan On Course to Become World’s Largest Hunger Crisis

A camp for Sudanese refugees in Adre, Chad (AFP)
A camp for Sudanese refugees in Adre, Chad (AFP)
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IRC: Sudan On Course to Become World’s Largest Hunger Crisis

A camp for Sudanese refugees in Adre, Chad (AFP)
A camp for Sudanese refugees in Adre, Chad (AFP)

Sudan is on course to become the world’s largest hunger crises, warned the International Rescue Committee (IRC) in a report released on Friday.

“This crisis and the humanitarian situation in the country will continue to deteriorate until parties to the conflict agree to stop the fighting, protect civilians and ensure they have unrestricted access to lifesaving humanitarian aid,” the report said.

IRC said that one year since fighting broke out between the Sudanese

Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), the conflict has had a catastrophic impact on almost every aspect of day-to-day life in the country.

“We stand at a critical juncture in Sudan's history, where the choices we make today will shape the future of generations to come,” Eatizaz Yousif, IRC Country Director for Sudan said.

She added that the past year has been marked by immense challenges and hardships for the people of Sudan.

“The conflict has resulted in significant loss of life, displacement, and economic strain. Beyond the figures, our new report aims to show the very real, multifaceted, human impact of the crisis on the people that have become displaced due to an entire year of this conflict,” she said.

The ongoing fighting has resulted in significant loss of life, with over 14,700 people killed and almost 30,000 injured.

More than 8.2 million people have fled their homes since the conflict started on April 15, 2023, making the conflict in Sudan the world’s largest displacement crisis.

Also, close to 25 million people (around half of the population) are in immediate need of assistance, including 18 million people facing acute food insecurity.

“With almost two million people already displaced into neighboring countries like Chad, Uganda and South Sudan which were already struggling with meeting humanitarian needs themselves, it is critical that the low-income fragile countries who have opened their doors to refugees are better supported by the international community, especially by fully funding their humanitarian and refugee response plans,” the IRC report said.

It added that while the European Union is readying an $9 billion aid package for Egypt amid fears that the conflicts in Gaza and Sudan will raise immigration pressure on Europe, the UN’s $2.7 billion humanitarian appeal for Sudan is only 6% funded.

The report showed that as the fighting continues in Sudan, humanitarian agencies like IRC are facing impediments that prevent them from reaching and providing aid to those in need.

“The IRC's efforts to provide water, health care, and protection services to those who have fled the conflict are vital and must continue,” it said.

According to IRC, the Sudan crisis will not abate until the fighting comes to a stop, which requires a reinvigoration of diplomatic efforts to bring parties to the table to agree to a cessation of hostilities and bring forward a long-term resolution to the conflict.

In the meantime, it is critical that both parties respect their commitments to protect civilians and remove all obstacles to the delivery of humanitarian assistance, and morally incumbent that donors urgently increase the funding needed to support an expansion of operations.

The IRC said it adapted and scaled up its programming in Sudan to address increased humanitarian needs.

It is supporting people who have been displaced internally through economic empowerment services, health and nutrition, and water, sanitation, and hygiene programs.

The IRC also provided protection and empowerment services for women and children, including gender-based violence survivors in Blue Nile, Gedaref, White Nile and Khartoum states and has have established offices in new regions, including Port Sudan, and launched an emergency response in River Nile state to deliver cash assistance, safe water, and sanitation and hygiene services to vulnerable communities.

IRC is also working to establish a presence in new locations, such as Darfur, to address gaps in humanitarian coverage and expand its programming in response to the enduring humanitarian crisis in Sudan.

World Health Organization spokesman Christian Lindmeier told reporters in Geneva on Friday that time was running out to avoid a catastrophe in Sudan.

“Without a stop to the fighting and unhindered access for the delivery of humanitarian aid, Sudan’s crisis will dramatically worsen in the months to come and could impact the whole region” in terms of more refugees, the spread of disease and food insecurity.

“We are only seeing the tip of the iceberg,” he added.

Lindmeier warned that 70 to 80 percent of Sudanese hospitals and clinics were not functioning due to the conflict.



Lebanon’s War Losses Double Compared to 2006

Rescuers and aid workers search for survivors at the site of an Israeli airstrike in eastern Lebanon (AFP)
Rescuers and aid workers search for survivors at the site of an Israeli airstrike in eastern Lebanon (AFP)
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Lebanon’s War Losses Double Compared to 2006

Rescuers and aid workers search for survivors at the site of an Israeli airstrike in eastern Lebanon (AFP)
Rescuers and aid workers search for survivors at the site of an Israeli airstrike in eastern Lebanon (AFP)

A comparison of the current human and material losses from the ongoing Hezbollah-Israel conflict with those from the July 2006 war shows that current losses have doubled.

Experts warn that the reconstruction funds and aid pledged to Lebanon 18 years ago may have limited impact once the war ends.

Total Losses

Mohammad Shamseddine, a researcher from Information International, told Asharq Al-Awsat that the death toll has risen from 900 in 2006 to 2,865 in the current conflict (as of October 31, 2024), with the number increasing daily. The number of wounded was 4,000 in 2006, but it has now exceeded 13,047.

In 2006, 600,000 people were displaced, while today that number has surpassed 1.2 million. Of these, 189,174 are in shelters. A total of 358,133 Syrians and 172,604 Lebanese have fled to Syria, and 120,000 have sought refuge in other countries.

Lebanese Economy and Trade Minister Amin Salam estimated that Lebanon’s total economic losses from the current conflict have reached $20 billion. However, economic associations report direct losses between $10 billion and $12 billion, covering damage to key sectors, homes, buildings, and infrastructure.

These figures align with estimates from Shamseddine, who believes direct and indirect losses are around $10 billion.

Of this, $4 billion occurred from October 8, 2023, to September 17, 2024 (when the conflict was mostly limited to the south), and $7 billion from September 17 to October 31, 2024, after Israel expanded the war. For comparison, losses during the 2006 war totaled $5.3 billion.

In 2006, infrastructure damage was valued at $900 million, higher than the current war's $570 million in infrastructure losses.

Housing losses in 2006 totaled $2.2 billion, while they have now surpassed $4.26 billion. Mohammad Shamseddine points out that commercial losses were similar in both conflicts, at $4.7 million.

Agricultural and environmental losses in 2006 were $450 million, but now exceed $900 million. Indirect economic damages were $1.2 billion in 2006, while they have now surpassed $3.38 billion.

One notable difference is the number of airstrikes: from October 8, 2023, to October 31, 2024, there were 11,647, compared to just 3,670 during the 33-day 2006 war.