Wed Sep 25 07:57:39 UTC 2024: ## WFP Races Against Time to Prevent Famine in Sudan, Warns of Mass Starvation

**Geneva/Nairobi:** The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is sounding the alarm about the dire humanitarian situation in Sudan, where 1.5 million people are facing famine or are at risk of starvation. With limited access and increasing needs, WFP spokesperson Leni Kinzli warned that hundreds of thousands of lives could be lost without urgent assistance.

Despite ongoing efforts, the WFP is facing a daunting challenge. While they are providing vital food and nutrition assistance to millions, the situation remains precarious. The agency has supported 5.4 million people with life-saving aid this year, including distributing basic staples to 180,000 people facing famine in Zamzam camp and providing hot meals to 175,000 people daily in Khartoum.

However, the WFP is calling for a significant increase in funding and support from the international community. Kinzli stressed that current efforts are “a drop in the ocean” compared to the immense needs.

The war in Sudan has pushed an estimated 36 million people across Sudan, South Sudan, and Chad into hunger. The spokesperson highlighted the plight of those fleeing the conflict, like Thuraya, a teenage girl who lost both parents and is struggling to feed her younger siblings in a refugee camp in Chad. Similarly, Nadjua, a new arrival in Chad, escaped Sudan due to severe food shortages and crop destruction.

Kinzli emphasized that world leaders need to prioritize this humanitarian crisis during the upcoming United Nations General Assembly in New York. She urged them to push for a humanitarian ceasefire and an end to the conflict, guarantee safe access for aid workers, and provide substantial funding – over $600 million in the next six months – to address the urgent needs.

“For over 500 days, the Sudanese people have been bearing the brunt of this war, feeling forgotten and abandoned by the world,” Kinzli stated. “We owe it to them to step up collective action and prevent mass-scale starvation. The hopes of the Sudanese people, their future, are riding on what we do next. We cannot let them down.”

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