The United Nations-backed famine warning system, Famine Early Warning Network (FEWS NET), has declared a state of famine in Zamzam refugee camp, located near El Fasher, the capital city of North Darfur in Sudan.
Around 600,000 people live in displacement camps near the city, with death rates in Zamzam reaching unprecedented levels.
El Fasher has been under siege by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitaries for months, as they try to capture the city from the Sudanese army. The ongoing conflicts in the region have worsened the already dire humanitarian situation, with food shortages and skyrocketing prices causing widespread hunger.
Fews Net also suspects severe hunger in Abu Shouk and Al Salam refugee camps.
Famine was declared only after confirming extreme mortality rates, which have been evident in Zamzam for two months.
Lark Walters, a Fews Net adviser, stated that without an end to the conflict and large-scale food aid, extreme suffering will continue.
The population in El Fasher’s camps, which formed due to genocide in the early 2000s, has grown as people flee the RSF from other areas.
The war and RSF siege have blocked food transport and production. The last harvest from late 2023 has been exhausted, and staple grains now cost up to 180% above the three-year average.
Plan International’s Sudan country director, Mohammed Qazilbash, said no food aid has reached Zamzam since April, when RSF attacks on El Fasher intensified. He urged immediate action to prevent more children and families from starving during the lean season.
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) reported that RSF is blocking their trucks, preventing medicine and food from reaching El Fasher.
MSF’s emergency response head, Stéphane Doyon, warned they only have enough therapeutic food to last a few weeks, and many children are already on the brink of death.