The News
Famine was declared in Sudan’s Darfur region, where hundreds of thousands of people have been internally displaced and are living in camps since a civil war began more than a year ago.
Official declarations of famine are rare; this is only the third one in the last 20 years globally.
The rival military groups — who are set to meet for US-brokered peace talks in two weeks — have prevented aid from reaching the more than 600,000 people estimated to be internally displaced. The scarcity has pushed the price of available grains 180% above recent averages.
SIGNALS
Warring parties are using hunger as ‘a weapon of war’
Both warring parties in the conflict have long prevented humanitarian aid from reaching the affected population, over unfounded fears that weapons could be smuggled in with the foodstuffs, UN experts said in a report, accusing the factions of using starvation as “a weapon of war.” Both military groups have created hurdles to aid reaching Sudan, including arresting and killing aid workers, adding bureaucratic red tape, limiting entry points, and causing telecom outages, France 24 and The New Arab noted. It has worsened a widespread humanitarian crisis: “Already, many children there are at death’s door,” a Doctors Without Borders official told The Guardian.
Famine declaration could encourage more aid and intervention
So far, the world’s response to the conflict has been “inadequate,” Semafor’s Martin K.N Siele wrote earlier this year, with the UN only raising a fraction of the pledged $4.1 billion in aid for Sudan. But the rare declaration of famine could bring more attention to the conflict and encourage governments to increase their spending toward humanitarian aid, The New York Times wrote. The declaration may even trigger the UN Security Council to issue a resolution for agencies to get more aid into Sudan, Reuters reported.
Planned peace talks could falter
The upcoming US-mediated peace talks between warring parties — the Sudanese army and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces — may not advance, the BBC reported, after an alleged assassination attempt on a Sudanese general that could provoke the army to pull out. Talks have faltered before, as both groups seem to believe in their capability to win quickly instead of seeking long-term solutions, Al Jazeera wrote in 2023. A more concerted international effort may be needed, a political scientist argued for Arab News: “Sustained diplomatic engagement and multilateral cooperation are essential to build trust between the warring parties and pave the way for a durable peace agreement.”