Sudan gov’t rejects UN-backed report that famine has spread in country

The Sudanese government yesterday rejected a UN-backed report that concluded that famine has spread to five areas in the war-torn country.

The report said famine is spreading in “at least five areas” in Sudan, particularly refugee camps and camps for people displaced by the war.

The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) famine review committee report predicted that five additional areas will suffer from famine between now and May 2025.

In a press conference in the Red Sea city of Port Sudan, the government’s commissioner for humanitarian aid, Salwa Adam Benya, said “the rumours of famine in Sudan are pure fabrication,” according to the official news agency.

She added that some aid agencies are using “food as a pretext” to achieve their objectives.

Earlier, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement that “the government of Sudan categorically rejects the IPC’s description of the situation in Sudan as a famine.”

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The statement called the report’s findings “essentially speculative,” accusing the IPC of procedural and transparency failures.

It noted that the IPC team was unable to access updated field data and did not consult with the government’s technical team on the final version before publication.

The IPC did not immediately respond to a request for comment from AFP.

A war has been raging in Sudan since April 2023, between the army – led by Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, and the RSF – led by his former deputy Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti. The fighting has killed tens of thousands, displaced more than 11 million people and caused a severe humanitarian crisis.