Today as we mark World Hunger Day, the Humanitarian Coalition is deeply concerned about the escalation of the humanitarian situation in Sudan which has reached unprecedented levels for hunger and displacement—making it the world’s largest humanitarian crisis. Each day, more than half of people living in Sudan face crisis or catastrophic levels of food insecurity.
Due to this crisis, more than 30 million people (60 per cent of the population) are in need of humanitarian assistance—half of them are children with roughly five million of those being under age five. Famine has been confirmed in 10 areas and 17 have been assessed as at risk for famine declaration. Food insecurity is rampant due to disrupted livelihoods, destroyed economic infrastructure, constraints in humanitarian access, and the mass displacement of children and families fleeing conflict.
Armed conflict erupted in April 2023 in Khartoum State and quickly spread to other states across Sudan, resulting in the world’s largest displacement crisis, with 14.5 million people forcibly fleeing their homes in the last two years—both within Sudan and to neighbouring countries. Currently 10.5 million people are displaced within Sudan, and four million have fled to neighbouring countries, including Central African Republic, Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia, Libya, and South Sudan, in many cases exacerbating the humanitarian needs in those countries.
The needs are immense, and the global humanitarian community is responding, but resources are limited. The Humanitarian Coalition’s 12 members deployed joint appeals in Canada in 2022 and 2023 for Sudan and other countries in the region and continue to respond to this crisis with life-saving assistance.
We urge everyone—governments, media, business partners, community organizations, and individuals—to amplify awareness, increase funding, and supporting frontline responders working to save lives. In particular, we call on the Canadian government to provide leadership now and in the lead up to the G7 for concerted and coordinated global humanitarian action and support for humanitarian principles. Together, we must act swiftly and decisively to bring hope, relief, and dignity to millions in need.
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