Looming famine in Sudan

More than 70% of hospitals in conflict-hit regions are not functioning, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said

The people of Sudan are dying because of lack of access to basic medical services, while some regions of the country are under the threat of famine, the World Health Organization (WHO) Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.

In his words, Sudan is gripped by “the world’s largest humanitarian crisis.”

More than 70% of hospitals in conflict-hit regions are not functioning.

“People are dying from lack of access to essential services and medicines, while there is a very real risk of mass starvation in some regions,” the WHO chief said.

The situation in Sudan escalated in April 2023 amid disagreements between the army chief, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, who also heads the ruling Sovereignty Council, and the head of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo.

The main points of contention between the two military organizations are related to the timeline and methods of forming unified armed forces of Sudan, as well as who should become the commander-in-chief of the army: a career military officer, which is an option supported by al-Burhan, or an elected civilian president, as Dagalo insists.

On April 15, armed clashes between the rival military factions erupted near a military base in Merowe and in the capital, Khartoum. The conflict has left thousands dead and tens of thousands injured. The conflicting sides held a series of consultations in Jeddah in 2023.