KHARTOUM, Sept. 25 (Xinhua) -- Sudan is now facing the world's most severe hunger crisis, with over half of its population, nearly 26 million people, suffering high levels of acute hunger, warned UN humanitarians on Wednesday.
Famine has been confirmed in North Darfur State's Zamzam camp, with many other areas at risk, said the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in a statement. Nearly 5 million children and pregnant and breastfeeding women have been acutely malnourished, it added.
"Health care and basic services have been decimated, cholera and other diseases are on the rise, and children are out of school for a second straight year," OCHA stated.
"As hostilities continue unabated, humanitarian action to support millions of people in Sudan and the region has never been more urgent," it stressed, noting that factors such as underfunding, insecurity, and restricted humanitarian access continue to hamper relief efforts.
Since April 15, 2023, Sudan has been embroiled in a violent conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. The conflict has resulted in approximately 20,000 deaths, thousands of injuries, and the displacement of millions, according to a press release published Tuesday on OCHA's website. ■
