UN: Desperation drives Sudanese to eat grass, tree leaves 

Sudanese people are being forced to resort to eating grass and tree leaves, with child malnutrition levels reaching alarming heights, the UN’s World Food Programme (WFP) warned on Sunday.

In a post on X, the UN organisation said: “WFP is urgently expanding its emergency food and nutrition assistance and working around the clock to get food supplies moving across the country.”

Warning about the dire situation in Sudan, the organisation added: “Desperation is driving people in #Sudan to eat grass and wild leaves. Malnutrition among children has reached alarming levels.”

WFP underscored the severity of child malnutrition in Sudan, indicating it has reached concerning levels.

Previously, 19 international humanitarian organisations, including 12 United Nations agencies, had warned of an impending famine in Sudan if warring parties obstruct aid agencies from providing relief to those in need.

The UN News website stated: “In a bleak assessment of the dire situation in Sudan where conflict is in its second year, the heads of 19 global humanitarian organisations issued an alert that further obstacles to providing aid “rapidly and at scale” will mean that “more people will die”.”

Humanitarian agencies have called on the warring factions to protect civilians, facilitate humanitarian access and agree to a nationwide ceasefire.

Sudan is engulfed in a devastating conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces, led by Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), headed by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, also known as Hemedti. More than 15,000 people have been killed in the year since the fighting erupted and 10 million have been forcibly displaced.

READ: More than 10m displaced by Sudan conflict: UN