Sudan: according to the UN, the parties to the conflict are using hunger as a weapon of war

Lina Portman1 week ago

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UN human rights experts have accused warring parties in Sudan of using hunger as a weapon of war, as warnings mount of a looming famine in the conflict-ridden country. “The SAF (Sudanese Armed Forces) and RSF (Rapid Support Forces) are using food as a weapon and starving civilians,” said members of the special procedures of the UN Human Rights Council, in a report. principal body of independent experts of the United Nations human rights system. “The scale of hunger and displacement we are seeing in Sudan today is unprecedented and has never been seen before,” experts said, warning of looming famine due to aid blockade humanitarian and disruption of the agricultural season. collected because of the war. More than 25 million civilians in Sudan and those who have fled the country are hungry and in need of urgent humanitarian assistance, experts have warned, also signaling that local efforts in response to Sudan's food crisis were hampered by unprecedented violence and targeted attacks. on civil society and local workers, with the arrest of dozens of local activists and volunteers. “The deliberate attack on aid workers and local volunteers has undermined humanitarian operations, putting millions of people at increased risk of famine. Local responders are risking their health and lives and working on all battle fronts,” says the report, which finally urges both parties to “stop blocking, pillaging and exploiting humanitarian aid.”

The UN estimates that 14 months of fighting have killed more than 14 people and wounded 33 others, although human rights activists say the toll could be much higher. There have been widespread reports of widespread sexual violence and other atrocities that rights groups say amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity. The conflict has created the world’s largest displacement crisis, with more than 11 million people forced from their homes. Sudan was plunged into chaos in April last year when simmering tensions between the country’s military and a notorious paramilitary group, the Rapid Support Forces, exploded into open fighting in the capital Khartoum and other parts of the country. A report by the Clingendael Institute, published last month, said that around 2.5 million people in Sudan could starve to death by the end of September, and that around 15 percent of the population in the Darfur and Kordofan regions are at risk of starvation.