Sudan’s famine crisis is the global north’s moral failure

The famine declared at Zamzam camp near Al Fashir in North Darfur highlights the stark reality of international apathy. The catastrophic conditions in Zamzam camp, verified by Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, only scratch the surface of a much larger crisis made worse by the lack of statistics and an inadequate humanitarian response.

On a recent visit to Sudan, I witnessed the unimaginable horrors faced by the Sudanese people. The international community’s failure to prevent this tragedy is appalling. The famine in Zamzam is just one part of a broader crisis sweeping through Sudan. With supply routes blocked and ongoing shortages of food and fuel, regions like White Nile state are teetering on the brink of famine.

Cafod is on the ground, working tirelessly with local partners to provide critical assistance, including cash vouchers for food, water, and other life-saving necessities. However, these efforts are severely underfunded, with only a third of the required £2.7 billion met, leaving millions at risk of starvation.

Sudan is experiencing the largest displacement crisis in the world, with nearly nine million people displaced – almost the population of London. The international community’s lack of urgency is not just a failure of compassion but a moral failure.

Our faith emphasises human dignity, solidarity, and the preferential option for the poor, values that call for immediate and decisive action in the face of such suffering. Sudan’s appeal has been met with disturbing indifference from the global north, a stark contrast to the solidarity and support required to uphold human dignity in crisis.

It is our collective moral responsibility to end this crisis. To prevent further loss, the Famine Review Committee has called for a halt to attacks on civilians, the opening of humanitarian corridors, and the scaling up efforts to end hostilities. The international community must urgently implement these recommendations to prevent Sudan from plunging deeper into crisis.

We echo Pope Francis when he recently said: “May the weapons be silenced and, with the commitment of the local authorities and the international community, help be brought to the population and the many displaced people.” Cafod has an emergency appeal to fund our work in Sudan, standing in solidarity with vulnerable people facing extreme injustices.

We must not overlook the critical role of Sudanese organisations like Caritas Sudan and civil society in responding to the crisis. These brave individuals are on the ground, working tirelessly to deliver aid to those in need. Strengthening local capacity and fostering collaboration between international and local groups is vital for a sustainable solution. We need to ensure local responders in Sudan get the right funding to continue supporting displaced families. Programmes like cash assistance help people in remote areas quickly get food, water, and other life-saving essentials.

The international community must come together to increase efforts, remove obstacles to aid, and push for collective action under United Nations Security Council Resolution 2417, which condemns the denial of essential resources to civilians during war.

The dire situation in Sudan is a humanitarian crisis and a moral failing of the global north. It is a call to action for governments, international organisations, and individuals to rise to the occasion, honour the principles of human dignity and solidarity, and prevent further loss of life.

The time for action is now. Sudan is already the forgotten war, but now the world must not, indeed cannot, turn a blind eye to Sudan’s crisis.

Kayode Akintola is Cafod’s Head of Region for Africa.

You can donate to the Sudan Crisis Appeal on the Cafod website at www.cafod.org.uk/sudanappeal