Sudan From the World’s Food Basket to Acute Food Insecurity

In a new classification, South Sudan topped the list of the (10) most food insecure African countries with a rate of (63%) due to economic shocks, followed by the Central African Republic with (44%) due to conflicts and insecurity, according to the Global Report on Food Crises (GRFC) for the current year.

Prior to the war, Sudan was classified as the most qualified country with its natural resources to be the world’s food basket.

According to the report published by the Food Security Information Network (FSIN) and reported by the “Business Insider Africa” website, Sudan came in third place with (42%), followed by Somalia with (39%), then Kenya with (32%), the Republic of the Congo with (31%), and Namibia with (26%), all due to difficult weather conditions, while the Democratic Republic of the Congo came in eighth place with (25%), then Zambia with (23%), and finally Zimbabwe with (23%).

According to the Global Report, the number of individuals facing severe food insecurity in 2023 worldwide reached (281.6) million people in (59) countries and regions, including about (158) million in Africa.

Last week, all central kitchens operating in “Abu Shouk” Camp for displaced persons in North Darfur state, western Sudan, have been out of service for more than a month, with more than (150,000) displaced persons suffering from hunger.

The emergency room of “Abu Shouk” Camp confirmed in a press statement that all central kitchens providing food have been out of service since last month due to the lack of aid.

The statement described the situation inside the camp as catastrophic due to hunger and the out-of-control health situation for the lack of supplies for children under the age of five, those suffering from malnutrition and lack of treatment for the elderly, in addition to the conditions caused by the floods and rains that hit the camp, resulting in the destruction of more than (3) thousand homes.

The statement reiterated the necessity of opening water drainage paths, providing shelter materials and medical supplies in addition to supporting central kitchen projects.