Sudan could be weeks away from a ‘catastrophic hunger crisis’

Published

1 year ago

March 17, 2024

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Sudan could be just weeks away from a catastrophic famine, aid workers have warned, as community volunteers struggle to feed the hungry amid security restrictions and armed violence.

War between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and its former security partners the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) erupted in Sudan’s capital Khartoum during the final days of Ramadan in April 2023.

It has since spread to large parts of the country, with a violently paranoid security response crippling efforts to deliver aid and exposing local volunteers to arrest and harassment by warring parties.

This year, Ramadan has exposed the severity of the situation, with many people searching for a single meal and clean water to break their fast in the evening.

Anthony Neal, the coordinator for International Non-Governmental Organisations in Sudan, told Sky News: “We are potentially weeks away from a catastrophic hunger crisis in the Darfurs, Kordofans and Khartoum.

“In many ways, we are in the situation where we are confronted with the possibility of famine because of the level of bureaucratic restrictions we have faced over the last 11 months.”

Four out of five Darfur states are controlled by the RSF, as well as large areas of Khartoum. Fighting is ongoing in West Kordofan and South Kordofan, southern states that have been cut off from the rest of the country for months.

“Since December, we haven’t been able to move any supplies from Port Sudan to any areas under the control of the RSF,” said Mr Neal.

“To some extent due to conflict insecurity but also because we haven’t been able to receive the necessary permissions from SAF – mostly military intelligence and national security.”

Across Sudan, there are 17.7 million people facing acute food insecurity, according to the IPC Acute Food Insecurity classification. Close to five million of them are experiencing emergency levels of hunger and the World Food Programme (WFP) says they are largely in places where humanitarian access is limited due to heavy fighting and restrictions.

SAF has pledged to allow some level of cross border assistance into North Darfur from the Tina crossing in Chad and 60 trucks into Al-Geneina in RSF-held West Darfur from the Adre crossing but that is yet to materialise.

Volunteers from Emergency Response Rooms (ERRs) are working in impossible conditions to fill the gap in these areas. Community initiatives borne out of the neighbourhood resistance committees that led protests against military rule in the 2019 revolution are now providing life-saving support in the absence of a state preoccupied by war.

Navigating shelling and airstrikes to buy food

In the residential area Burri in Khartoum, ERR volunteers are navigating shelling and airstrikes to go to markets and buy food to feed 170 families in their area. But market vendors only accept cash and funds are extremely limited.

“Our community kitchen is only able to offer a meal of ful – mashed fava beans – and even that is by the grace of God,” says an ERR volunteer there.

“The community kitchens in the tri-city capital have mostly ceased functioning and even those that are still operating have extremely limited output.”

Earlier this month, Khartoum State Emergency Room confirmed 221 of 300 community kitchens in the state had been suspended due to the continued interruption of telecommunications. This news came just as Ramadan was about to begin.

In North Darfur’s state capital Al-Fashir, where hunger levels are already deadly and thousands have been displaced from other Darfur states, the efforts of ERR volunteers are now paralysed.

Their widespread distribution of clean water, supplies and food to displacement camps, shelters and health centres has ceased with the end of grant assistance.

“The situation during Ramadan is much more difficult as the emergency room has stopped providing any service due to the lack of a grant for any services,” Mohamed told us from Al-Fashir.

“We are now struggling to offer a single meal for people to break their fast.”

State authorities actively restricting volunteers

Mohamed and other ERR volunteers work hard to provide a plate of pasta or rice with meat for people to break their fast at the end of the day.

ERR volunteers are also working with great difficulty in army-held areas.

In another displacement hub, River Nile state capital Atbara, they are providing support to 400 families living in shelters.

“We are doing everything that is possible and everything that is impossible as an individual, group or charitable effort to fill the gap – fighting to provide the displaced with the simplest of necessities for living,” Abeer told us from there.

But not only are state authorities not helping, they are actively restricting volunteer response.

Mr Neal said: “In River Nile state, we have seen a crackdown on local civil society which has restricted a local response at scale to fill gaps in state services.

“They have essentially banned the change in service committees and there has basically been a restriction on the civil society space which does not make it easy for local responders to step up and provide assistance.”

William Carter, the Sudan country director for the Norwegian Refugee Council in Sudan, said: “We have been alarmed by increasing probabilities that millions in Sudan would be facing catastrophic hunger for many months now.

“None of the trend lines that would change this default have materialised – improved macroeconomic situation, reduced fighting and displacement, improved humanitarian access.”

“We’ve been surprised that other parts of the international system have downplayed the famine risks for so long.”

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Israel had ‘no choice’ but to attack Iran because it was ‘rushing’ to nuclear bomb, president Isaac Herzog claims

Published

11 hours ago

June 16, 2025

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Israel had 'no choice' but to attack Iran because it was 'rushing' to nuclear bomb, president Isaac Herzog claims

Israel had “no other choice” but to attack Iran because it was proceeding “dramatically” towards a nuclear bomb, Israeli President Isaac Herzog has claimed.

Speaking to Sky News’ Yalda Hakim, he said Iran was “rushing” to the bomb “under disguise”.

He also suggested the Israeli war cabinet was discussing Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, amid reports that President Donald Trump vetoed a plan to kill him.

It comes as Israel and Iran continue to fire missiles at each other after Israel launched an unprecedented strike on Iran’s nuclear and military capabilities.

Tehran has long denied that its nuclear program has been attempting to obtain a nuclear weapon.

Mr Herzog was asked why Israel attacked Iran when it did.

“When you take such decisions of historic magnitude and proportions, you have to analyse all facets and all facts,” he replied.

“The truth of the matter is there was no other choice.”

He claimed Iran was proceeding “dramatically” towards the bomb, both in terms of the enrichment of uranium and, “clandestinely”, the armament part of the process.

“I’ve always been very crystal clear with regards to a nuclear capability of our enemies – it has to be removed at once.”

Mr Herzog added: “We have to remove the Iranian nuclear program because we see the negotiating process as being futile because they are lying whilst talking to us.

“They are lying whilst talking to the United States and other allies.”

He was questioned whether the strikes on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure could provoke a response that causes a mass casualty event in Israel.

“(We are) very much aware of the risks of this war,” he replied. “Every night there are missile attacks, heavy missile attacks on Israel.

“We have our air defence systems, which are excellent.

“Unfortunately, we have casualties. Brothers and sisters of ours from toddlers all the way up to the age of 94.”

He continued: “No, we don’t accept it at all… That’s why we are fighting also, to eliminate their capability of firing at us.”

He also suggested the Israeli war cabinet was discussing Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, after reports Mr Trump vetoed an Israeli plan to kill him.

“Let’s just remember that the Supreme Leader of Iran has for years called for the annihilation of Israel.”

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Iran’s response to Israeli strikes a ‘matter of principle’, ambassador to UK says

Published

1 day ago

June 15, 2025

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Iran's response to Israeli strikes a 'matter of principle', ambassador to UK says

Iran’s response to Israeli attacks on its nuclear facilities is “self-defence” and a “matter of principle”, the Iranian ambassador to the UK has told Sky News.

Speaking exclusively to The World With Yalda Hakim, Seyed Ali Mousavi said the “barbaric Israeli regime” is “violating international law” – describing Israel’s actions in recent days as “an act of aggression against the Iranian people”.

The conflict between Israel and Iran – once played out in a series of proxy wars – has escalated in the past three days.

Follow Israel-Iran conflict live

On Friday morning, explosions hit Tehran as Israel carried out a major attack on its top army leaders, nuclear sites, and nuclear scientists.

Iran threatened “severe punishment” and quickly retaliated with a wave of missiles.

When questioned about whether Iran could continue fighting Israel, the Iranian ambassador told Yalda Hakim that “it is a matter of principle”.

He said: “This is about self-defence, there is no doubt about it.

“We are a responsible member state of the UN and we do all activities according to our international obligations.

“Any activities are only in the framework of self-defence.”

He added that his country would “do our best to preserve our territorial integrity”, and that “with the help of God”, Iran will “materialise endeavours concretely against our enemy – the Israeli regime”.

Mr Mousavi also told Hakim that Iran’s nuclear activities are “monitored”, and that recent comments by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) were “politically motivated”.

The UN nuclear watchdog’s board of governors found Iran was not complying with its nuclear obligations for the first time in 20 years.

Iran said it has “always adhered” to the safeguarding obligations laid down by the watchdog.

Announcing Operation Rising Lion on Friday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed Iran had recently taken steps to weaponise enriched uranium, which could be used to make nuclear weapons.

But Mr Mousavi stressed that Iran’s “peaceful activities” at its “nuclear fields” were only for the “generation of electricity, and other peaceful” things.

Iran was due to continue its round of negotiations with the US in Muscat – however, this was cancelled, given recent tensions.

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UK government advises against all travel to Israel

Published

2 days ago

June 15, 2025

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UK government advises against all travel to Israel

The government is warning people not to travel to Israel under any circumstances, as the country’s missile exchange with Iran shows no sign of abating.

On Friday, the Foreign Office warned against “all but essential travel” to most of Israel.

The areas around Gaza, the West Bank and the Golan Heights were already classed as red zones, with warnings to avoid travel to these areas.

But the government has now updated the warning for the remainder of the country to red.

Follow live: Tehran and Israel exchange strikes

This puts Israel on the same level as Iran, and the change of advice is also likely to impact travel insurance.

However, with Israel’s airspace closed, it is unlikely many people will be attempting the journey, and Israel’s national airline El Al has announced it is cancelling flights to and from many European cities, as well as Tokyo and Moscow, until 23 June.

The change in travel advice comes after a second night of ballistic missile barrages from Iran following Israel’s attack in the early hours of Friday morning.

On Sunday morning, Israel’s health ministry said 12 people had been killed over the past day, taking the total since Friday to 15. It also said 385 people had arrived at hospital with injuries overnight.

Iran has not provided a total number of deaths or overall casualties, but has claimed dozens have been killed.

Iran’s health minister has said most of those injured and killed in Israeli strikes were civilians. According to comments carried by news agency IRNA, he said the majority were women and children.

What is the UK doing?

The UK government is sending military assets, including fighter jets, to the Middle East.

While the prime minister would not confirm to reporters that UK forces could be used to defend Israel from future Iranian attacks, the chancellor told Sky News earlier that the government is “not ruling anything out”.

Speaking to Sky’s Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips, Rachel Reeves said sending military assets to the Middle East “does not mean that we are at war”, and emphasised that “we have not been involved in these strikes or this conflict”.

“But we do have important assets in the region,” she continued. “And it is right that we send jets to protect them. And that’s what we’ve done. It’s a precautionary move, and at the same time, we are urging de-escalation.”

Pushed on the question of what the UK would do if Israel asked for support with its operations, the chancellor replied: “I’m not going to rule anything out at this stage. It’s a fast-moving situation, a very volatile situation. But we don’t want to see escalation.”