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Taylor Wallace
Mar 154 min read

A Food Catastrophe.

Sudan's famine shows worrying scenarios for nearby Yemen's famine.


 

Sudanese Insurgents outside of Humanitarian camps. - (WIX, 2024)

 

 Sudan currently has one of the world's most significant humanitarian crises within its borders. 18 million people are living in food insecurity, 7.7 million are displaced, and around 5 million are facing famine soon (WFP, 2024). This is a nightmare that has only grown in the past few years. A deepening military conflict between the government and various insurgency groups has meant that Sudan has officially become the world's largest displacement crisis (WFP, 2024). With thousands dying in battle, millions fleeing, and many more starving, the situation in Sudan paints an unsettling look for other nations facing growing humanitarian disasters, such as Yemen, Somalia, South Sudan, and Chad. 

Sudan has been a nation broken and distraught from its artificial creation by the British in the late 19th century. During British rule, the region's people faced some of the worst humanitarian conditions in any African colony. With an environment that outside of the Nile is relatively inhospitable during part of the year, a mass colonial oppression that divided ethnic groups, and a complex network of rivaling tribal kingdoms, the region was plagued by famines, conflicts, and humanitarian fallouts (Searcy, 2019). This would continue until independence in 1956, when the British fled the region due to their collapsing international empire. However, the effects would never be lost.

After independence, Sudan was plagued by war and instability. "Post-independence conflicts in Sudan were largely caused by ethnic divisions created by the British colonial administration between 1899 and 1956. "Divide and rule" policies pursued by the British continue to haunt contemporary Sudan, both north and south." (Searcy, 2019). These ethnic conflicts led to horrific results and would carry the colonial trauma far and beyond British rule. In 2003, the Darfur genocide had begun when rebellion broke out across the Darfur region of Sudan. "The government of Sudan responded by mobilizing so-called janjaweed militias, which waged a scorched earth campaign against civilians in the region." (Yale, 2024). The ensuing conflict would target civilians of specific ethnic backgrounds, resulting in the deaths of around 400,000 people from 2003 till today (USHMM, 2024). This conflict and genocide has never ended despite the UN peacekeeping mission in Sudan and the UK fighting against these groups constantly. Instead, this conflict has spread out and caused numerous other issues, including the ongoing Sudan War and now near-extreme-level famine (WFP, HRW, 2024)

Since November of 2023, the War in Sudan has escalated immensely alongside the rapidly growing humanitarian crisis. To go along with these dangers has been a lack of grain and other food products due to global shortages related to the War in Ukraine and the Conflict in Gaza. The pandemic still has its effects on Sudan as well, and as Sudan's economy has never been able to withstand the growing catastrophe, little confidence exists in the government's future. These factors combine to paint an ominous picture for the region and nations like Yemen, which are facing similar problems. As Yemen's growing food crisis hits critical levels and as conflict rages on across the nation, the UN and ICRC struggle to slow the spread of violence. However, an Arab and international grouping of nations has come to support Yemen in its plight in recent weeks, showing that there is potential for its Red Sea neighbor Sudan. "So far, around 1,800 people have died in the fighting in Sudan. It can only envy its neighbor across the Red Sea, where an Arab and international coalition seeks to end the conflict." (Haaretz, 2023). 

Sudan and Yemen are two nations that show how quickly conflict can turn into international migration/humanitarian challenges that affect nations in the region and the globe. They also show how international geopolitical issues can quickly affect other nations globally. Both countries require international aid and attention, but as Yemen has begun to receive some, many wonder if neighboring Sudan will also be looked at. Only time will tell if either of these countries can pull out of their current disasters. However, with careful attention and proactive humanitarian focus, it appears that there is hope in some of the world's most violent and hungry nations. 

 

Bibliography



“Breaking the Cycle of Food Crises in Yemen.” World Bank. https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2023/04/27/breaking-the-cycle-of-food-crises-in-yemen (March 15, 2024).


Millions of Sudanese go hungry as war disrupts food supply | reuters. https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/millions-sudanese-go-hungry-war-disrupts-food-supply-2024-03-06/ (March 15, 2024).


Priti Gulati Cox, Stan Cox. 2023. “The Wars You Don’t Hear about Continue to Devastate Millions.” The Nation. https://www.thenation.com/article/world/sudan-yemen-syria-wars/ (March 15, 2024).


Roach, Steven C. 2023. “Slave Soldiers, British Colonial Rule, and Armed Resistance.” OUP Academic. https://academic.oup.com/book/49417/chapter-abstract/418512677?redirectedFrom=fulltext (March 15, 2024).



“Sudan.” Sudan | Genocide Studies Program. https://gsp.yale.edu/case-studies/sudan (March 15, 2024).


“Sudan: New Mass Ethnic Killings, Pillage in Darfur.” 2024. Human Rights Watch. https://www.hrw.org/news/2023/11/26/sudan-new-mass-ethnic-killings-pillage-darfur (March 15, 2024).


“Sudan: World Food Programme.” UN World Food Programme. https://www.wfp.org/emergencies/sudan-emergency (March 15, 2024).


United States holocaust memorial museum. https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/darfur (March 15, 2024).


“Yemen on the Brink: Conflict Is Pushing Millions towards Famine.” 2022. Oxfam International. https://www.oxfam.org/en/yemen-brink-conflict-pushing-millions-towards-famine (March 15, 2024).

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