Australia for UNHCR is calling for urgent support from Australians after famine was officially declared in Sudan’s North Darfur region.
The famine was declared in a camp for displaced people, which is currently home to hundreds of thousands of people.
It follows more than 15 months of war in the country.
“More than ten million people have been displaced by the war and now Sudan is facing a deepening hunger crisis,” said Australia for UNHCR CEO Trudi Mitchell.
“A declaration of famine is very rare and is only confirmed following many deaths, so this development is extremely alarming. We call on any Australians who can to donate,” she said.
UNHCR is on the ground in Sudan and neighbouring countries helping people who’ve been displaced by the conflict.
Since the start of the war, UNHCR has reached some 800,000 displaced Sudanese with aid, including cash assistance so they can buy food.
However, resource constraints and lack of access are hampering humanitarian relief efforts.
After weeks of waiting at a border crossing in eastern Chad, UNHCR recently managed to get three trucks of supplies for 1,000 families into North Darfur, a tiny percentage of what is needed.
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, has called on the warring parties to immediately facilitate humanitarian access to communities that require life-saving aid.
“The level of suffering is truly unconscionable,” said Grandi.
“It’s time for those fighting each other to start caring for their own people and for states with influence to make serious efforts to bring them to the negotiating table.”