Sudan nears hunger crisis as world looks elsewhere

The war in Sudan has created the world’s largest internal displacement crisis and risks triggering the world’s worst hunger crisis, the World Food Programme (WFP) warns. The numbers: 9 million people are internally displaced; 47 million Sudanese (about 95 per cent of the total population) cannot afford a meal per day; 25 million people across Sudan, South Sudan and Chad (where more and more people are fleeing) are on the brink of famine. “Twenty years ago, Darfur was the world’s largest hunger crisis and the world rallied to respond. But today, the people of Sudan have been forgotten,” said WFP Executive Director Cindy McCain. Why? It’s probably a combination of the lack of US domestic political interest, other conflicts taking priority, and Sudan’s warring parties’ reluctance to collaborate with humanitarian organisations.