Famine Expands in Sudan's Darfur as Conflict Rages, Two More Towns Succumb
CAIRO (AP) — Famine conditions have spread to two more towns in Sudan's war-ravaged Darfur region, a leading global hunger monitoring body confirmed Thursday, marking a dangerous escalation in what the United Nations describes as the world's worst humanitarian crisis.
The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) reported that the towns of Umm Baru and Kernoi in Darfur are now experiencing famine. This alarming development follows the group's declaration just months ago that the region's major hub, el-Fasher, along with Kadugli in South Kordofan, were enduring famine. The IPC had previously warned that over 20 areas across Sudan were at imminent risk.
The spread of catastrophic hunger underscores the relentless impact of the war that erupted in April 2023 between the Sudanese military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). El-Fasher, the site of the earlier famine declaration, has been under an 18-month siege and has seen repeated incursions by RSF forces.
The latest famine report was released on the same day violence flared elsewhere. An attack by paramilitary forces on a military hospital in the town of Kouik, South Kordofan, killed 22 people, including the hospital's medical director and three other staff members, according to the Sudan Doctors' Network. Eight others were wounded, with the number of civilian casualties still unclear.
"This is not just a food crisis; it is a deliberate consequence of a war where siege tactics and attacks on civilian infrastructure are the norm," said Dr. Anya Petrova, a researcher with the Center for Humanitarian Aid. "The international response remains catastrophically slow."
Marcus Thorne, a former UN logistics coordinator for the region, offered a more measured, yet grave, analysis: "The IPC data confirms our worst fears. The systemic collapse of markets, agriculture, and supply routes in Darfur has created a perfect storm. Without immediate, unhindered humanitarian access, the map of famine will continue to expand."
Meanwhile, Sarah Chen, an activist with the Sudan Relief Watch, reacted with fury: "It's a grotesque failure of the global conscience. We have names—Umm Baru, Kernoi, el-Fasher—not just statistics. While diplomats debate, militias starve people into submission. This is a manufactured hell, and the world is watching it happen in real-time."
The conflict has displaced millions internally and into neighboring countries, collapsing Sudan's economy and healthcare system. Aid agencies consistently report being blocked from delivering vital supplies to the hardest-hit areas.
Associated Press writer Fay Abuelgasim in Cairo contributed to this report.