Sudan Events – Follow-ups
UN reports to the Security Council claimed that the humanitarian situation in Sudan is alarming, with the threat of famine looming over 17 regions. However, Sudan’s permanent representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Harith Idris, questioned the credibility of the reports, asserting that they were based on unknown, secondary sources and were not conducted by technical teams.
During his intervention in the Security Council session on Sudan’s food situation, Harith described the ABC report on famine as methodologically flawed, adding, “It is historically paradoxical to say (Sudan is starving), when in fact Sudan is suffering from (artificial hunger).”
He emphasized that the disagreement with the ABC group was not academic but was about the reliability of the information and statistics that justified their conclusions. While he acknowledged the importance of cooperation with international organizations, he expressed grave concern over the report that claimed famine existed in five regions of Sudan. He pointed out the deficiencies in the report, noting that it neglected to evaluate key famine indicators, such as reliable field surveys, acute malnutrition rates, and mortality rates, while also pointing out procedural errors. Furthermore, the report had been leaked prematurely to the media, raising questions about transparency and integrity.
Harith explained that the government rejects the report, not to conceal the famine, but because of its lack of transparency and accuracy, as well as its reliance on speculation. He also raised concerns over the map presented by the ABC, which displayed the famine-affected regions in red and black colors only.
He mentioned that land and air corridors were open, with urgent measures taken to grant visas to international and humanitarian organization staff, and travel permits for UN personnel and other organizations. Harith stressed that the primary cause of the food crisis was the systematic violations by rebel militias. He clarified with statistics that the scale of famine in Sudan affects no more than 1% to 2% of the population, around 500,000 out of a total of 48 million people.
