Famine Finding in Darfur Must Bring Action

Statement by Refugees International’s Director for Africa, Asia, and the Middle East Daniel P. Sullivan: 

“Refugees International is alarmed by the Famine Review Committee’s finding that famine levels are present and likely spreading in Darfur, Sudan. The finding of the group of experts confirms what Refugees International has been hearing from Sudanese civilians and independent famine experts and underscores the urgency of addressing the rapidly growing hunger crisis. 

Alarmingly, this famine determination is a lagging indicator. A lack of access for observers has prevented a more definitive picture of the levels of hunger in other parts of the country. 

Refugees International recently visited the Nuba mountains in Sudan and interviewed newly arriving IDPs from several parts of Sudan. The conditions of new arrivals made clear that the hunger crisis is growing. Food scarcity is combining with ongoing violence to drive hundreds of thousands of people from their homes. Many said they traveled days without food, surviving largely on plants once they reached areas of relative security.

The famine finding and interviews with IDPs are also a blaring signal that what has been done so far to prevent mass starvation has failed. What is needed is a robust famine response plan that addresses root causes, even as immediate efforts are deployed to deliver lifesaving aid.

An effective famine response must include:

• Robust diplomatic efforts to push the warring parties – the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) – to reach a ceasefire and adhere to their stated commitments to allow access for humanitarian aid. The proposed U.S.-led talks on a ceasefire and aid access to take place in Switzerland in mid-August are a welcome and much needed step. But efforts to gain humanitarian access cannot wait for negotiations to play out.

• Pressure on the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and other external actors supporting the warring parties to cease fueling the conflict and use their leverage to push the parties towards a ceasefire. The UAE has been directly supplying weapons and other material support to the RSF and its allied militias – the very groups responsible for the displacement of IDPs now living in famine conditions in Zam Zam camp and elsewhere in Darfur. The UAE must pay a major reputational price for enabling mass atrocities and famine.

• Cross-border delivery of aid from Sudan’s neighbors, including Chad and South Sudan, without waiting for SAF approval. To date, the UN has allowed SAF to heavily restrict the delivery of lifesaving aid across borders, particularly from eastern Chad into the areas of Darfur identified to be at or nearing famine levels. SAF’s legitimacy as Sudan’s governing power is highly questionable and SAF has no legal grounds to wield a veto over delivery of cross-border humanitarian assistance.

• Ramping up funding for Emergency Response Rooms (ERRs) and other local Sudanese mutual aid groups. The ERRs and other local groups have been at the front lines of the humanitarian response in Sudan, especially in areas unreachable to UN agencies and international aid groups. Global donors must get serious about supporting these groups, including with training and capacity building and a bolder “no regrets” programming approach that removes overly bureaucratic reporting impediments and scales up consistent flexible cash assistance. With famine already present, the stakes could not be higher.

As alarming as the famine finding is, it is not surprising. Unfortunately, indications from within Sudan suggest it will not be the last. While diplomatic efforts move slowly forward, the time for a robust famine response is now. Sudan can’t wait.”

For more information or to schedule an interview, contact Etant Dupain at edupain@refugeesinternational.org.