Bishop says food is being used as a weapon in Sudan

LEICESTER, United Kingdom – A South Sudanese bishop says food has been used as a weapon during Sudan’s civil war, and famine now threatens his neighboring country as a direct result of the conflict.

Addressing the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales, Bishop Alex Lodiong Sakor Eyobo of Yei, South Sudan, criticised the tactics used in the war between the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF).

Fighting broke out between two rival armed factions in the capital in April 2023. According to the Center for Preventive Action, the civil war has so far claimed nearly 15,000 lives. More than 8.2 million people have been displaced, with about 2 million seeking refuge in equally volatile environments such as Chad, South Sudan and Ethiopia.

“They harass humanitarian agencies. And when humanitarian agencies are harassed, they stop distributing food because they also have to protect their own lives,” Sakor Eyobo said.

“Food aid is sometimes blocked by the RSF, not allowing them [the agencies] “You have to go in. Because when you bring food to the people, you also feed their own enemies. So they use food as a weapon, so that once the food is not delivered, their enemy is weakened. That is their view,” the bishop said.

“The famine is not caused by drought, but by conflict,” he said.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) says thousands of people are leaving Sudan every day, fleeing brutal violence and abuse, death, disrupted services, limited access to humanitarian aid and looming famine.

“As horrific as it is, this is not just about famine, it is also about brutal human rights violations, floods that are expected to be the worst in many years this year, which not only hamper the delivery of humanitarian aid but mean that people are stuck where they are with little help and cannot flee,” said Ewan Watson, the UN agency’s head of global communications.

Sakor Eyobo explained to the English Church that the problem of famine is that Sudan cannot produce because people are fleeing.

“When someone is on the run, he has nothing to produce for himself. If you flee, you leave your belongings behind; you have no money, even to buy food, because as a displaced person, where do you get your money?” the bishop said.

“Even if there is food available in the market, we cannot afford to buy it. That is why it is difficult and why there is famine. People are moving, they are being driven out of their homes, they cannot produce food, and because they cannot produce food, it creates an environment conducive to famine,” he added.

The bishop said the war is making the problem worse.

“The Holy Father himself, when he spoke about Iraq, Afghanistan and Israel, said that ‘war is defeat.’ If human beings want to engage in war, it is defeat. It is not success; one will never succeed in war,” Sakor Eyobo said.

“Lives are being destroyed, property is being destroyed and before you know it, it is all gone. And rebuilding will not be easy. That is why we are calling on the humanitarian community to become proactive and act quickly to ensure these issues are addressed,” he continued.

“We are engaging with local communities that are fragmented because of the war so that they are not used by the elites. Because the elites are using our people for their own benefit and it is our people who are suffering,” the bishop said.

Bishop Paul Swarbrick, senior bishop for Africa at the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales, said it “is essential” that the Sudanese conflict be resolved as quickly and effectively as possible.

“While other conflicts are attracting a lot of media attention, the war in Sudan is already spilling over to destabilise neighbouring countries and South Sudan is increasingly affected,” he added.

“Earlier this year I received an encouraging response from British ministers in terms of practical help and political intervention. I also heard from Bishop Carlassare of Rumbek. The presence of the Church even in times of political instability and food insecurity is a reason to keep hope alive. Christ has not abandoned the people,” Swarbrick said.