But as rival armies continue to fight, the country’s plight is being overlooked by much of the international community.
“As world leaders turn their attention elsewhere, this is not receiving the necessary attention and support to prevent a nightmare scenario for the people of Sudan. The world cannot pretend that it does not know how bad the situation in Sudan is, or that urgent action is needed,” Mr Dunford said.
Urgent expansion
The World Food Program (WFP) announced this it will urgently expand efforts to provide life-saving food and nutrition assistance. Currently, 18 million people in Sudan face acute food insecurity a figure that has almost tripled since 2019. Nearly five million people are suffering from a state of hunger emergency.
“Sudan is in the grip of widespread hunger and malnutrition. WFP continues to expand its food and nutrition assistance to reach millions more people experiencing the daily horrors of war,” said Mr Dunford.
WFP will scale up assistance to an additional five million people by the end of this year, doubling the number the agency aimed to support in early 2024.
As part of the relief, they will also provide cash support to 1.2 million people in twelve states, which will boost local markets. In addition, the agency works directly with smallholder farmers, many of whom have been displaced by conflict, to boost wheat production.
However, ongoing violence in Sudan makes it extremely difficult to access those most in need. About 90 percent of those living in emergencies are in areas where access is extremely limited due to heavy fighting.
WFP is working around the clock to expand access to frontlines and other hard-to-reach areas.
“The situation is already catastrophic and could deteriorate further unless support reaches all those affected through conflict,” Mr Dunford said.
Massacre in Aj Jazirah State
The massacre reported on Wednesday in the village of Wad Al-Noura in Aj Jazirah state illustrates the horrors of the intensifying conflict.
“Even by the tragic standards of the conflict in Sudan, the images emerging from Wad Al-Noura are heartbreaking,” said Clementine Nkweta-Salamithe Residential and Humanitarian Coordinator for Sudan.
There were reports of heavy gunfire and the use of explosive weapons in densely populated civilian areas, resulting in a large number of casualties. Ms Nkweta-Salami calls for a thorough investigation and for the perpetrators of the massacre to be held accountable.
“Human tragedies have become a feature of life in Sudan. We cannot allow impunity to become a new impunity,” she said.
At least 55 children dead or injured
At least 55 children have reportedly been killed and injured in the violent attacks.
“I am shocked by reports that at least 35 children were killed and more than 20 injured during yesterday’s attack on the village of Wad al Noura, in the Sudanese state of al-Jazira,” he said. UNICEF Executive Director Ms. Catherine Russell.
She described it as “yet another grim reminder of how Sudan’s children are paying the price for brutal violence“.
Thousands of children have been killed, injured, recruited, kidnapped and subjected to rape and other serious forms of sexual violence in the past year. More than five million children have been forced to flee their homes.
Ms Russell called for “an immediate cessation of hostilities, ensuring the protection of children from harm.”
Nearly 10 million displaced people
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) meanwhile warns that the number of people displaced by conflict in Sudan could exceed 10 million in the coming days.
This includes 2.8 million men, women and children who were displaced before the start of this phase of the conflict, which broke out between rival generals in April last year.
More than half of all internally displaced persons are women and girls, and over a quarter of displaced persons are children under the age of five.
