Sudan's Humanitarian Crisis Deepens as Millions Face Starvation
Over 30 million people in Sudan are in dire need of humanitarian aid, with millions at risk of starvation. The UN's 2023 response plan for Sudan is severely underfunded, receiving less than a quarter of the required $4.2 billion in the first half of the year.
The crisis in Sudan is grave. Over 5 million children, pregnant women, and lactating mothers face severe malnutrition. Nearly 2 million are at risk of starvation. The situation is exacerbated by the reduction of humanitarian budgets from Western states like Germany, the Netherlands, and Switzerland. Under President Donald Trump, the US government completely halted its payments to the UN's response plan.
The roots of the crisis run deep, tracing back to colonialism. An elite from the country's center exploits the marginalized peripheries. The militarization of Sudan's political landscape, partly due to German involvement during the Cold War, is another main cause. While Germany hasn't exported arms to Sudan in three decades, it has significantly increased weapons exports to Gulf states involved in the proxy war. The death toll has surpassed 150,000, and since 2021, around 14 million people have been displaced, with nearly 4 million fleeing to neighboring countries.
The Sudanese diaspora remains the largest donor to the country's humanitarian efforts, sending remittances to Emergency Response Rooms (ERRs). However, the scale of the crisis demands urgent, substantial international support to prevent further suffering and displacement.
