FAO Warns Against the Danger of Famine in Sudan

Sudan Events – Agencies

The Director of the Emergency and Resilience Office at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Rene Paulsen, warned against the threat of famine looming over Sudan and the severe shortage of funding, while a large number of farmers face difficulty in accessing their lands. Paulsen stressed that conflict is the main driver of the food crisis, but he pointed out that the situation is difficult even in areas that enjoy some safety and are on the front lines of climate change. Rene Paulsen confirmed that he went to Sudan to work with the Food and Agriculture Organization office as part of the organization’s contribution to the ongoing collective efforts to prevent famine, and as part of the inter-agency response plan to the food security crisis, and that FAO, as a specialized UN agency, focuses on food, agriculture and crop seasons. He pointed out that there are many measures that must be taken, as the FAO’s assessment of crops and food supplies for the year 2023 showed a 46 percent decline at the national level in terms of production of major crops, including wheat, maize, millet and rice. It is not possible to fill this gap through in-kind food aid only or cash distributions. The FAO official explained that there are two main sets of challenges facing the Food and Agriculture Organization, namely financing and access. He added, “These two matters must be addressed so that we can prevent famine, and that FAO currently needs $104 million to support a little more than 10 million Sudanese in 2024, but funding so far has amounted to less than ten percent of the required amount, and the lack of Food security is worse this year than last year. “So these two paths are going in the wrong directions.”