Food crisis looms in Sudan amid economic crisis

Around half of Sudan's population will face acute hunger this year amid an economic crisis and poor harvests, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Food Program (WFP) warned on Wednesday.

"There are already worrying signs that access, affordability, and the availability of food is shrinking for most people in Sudan, which is pushing more people deeper into poverty and hunger," Eddie Rowe, WFP Representative and Country Director in Sudan, said in a statement.

The two agencies blamed the country's economic crisis, poor harvests and rising food prices for worsening the food crisis in Sudan.

"The combined effects of conflict, economic crisis, and poor harvests are significantly affecting people's access to food and will likely double the number of people facing acute hunger in Sudan to more than 18 million people by September 2022," they said.

FAO and the WFP said that the Ukrainian conflict has even made the food situation in Sudan even worse.

"The situation looks grim for millions as the conflict in Ukraine is causing further spikes in food costs, as Sudan is dependent on wheat imports from the Black Sea region," the statement said.

According to FAO, Russia and Ukraine are major global food producers and exporters.

Russia is the world's largest exporter of wheat, and Ukraine is the fifth-largest. Together, they provide 19% of the world's barley supply, 14% of wheat, and 4% of maize, making up more than one-third of global cereal exports.

Sudan has been in turmoil since Oct. 25, 2021, when the military dismissed Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok's transitional government and declared a state of emergency, in a move decried by political groups as a "military coup."