Sudan was already one of the world\u2019s poorest countries when international aid on which it depended was cut in late 2021
\nKHARTOUM
\nMore than a third of Sudan\u2019s population will need humanitarian assistance in 2023 as displacement and hunger grow, the United Nations has said.
\n\u201cThe number of acutely food insecure people continued to increase for the third year in a row,\u201d said the UN\u2019s humanitarian aid agency OCHA in a report published Sunday.
\nAround four million children under the age of five, as well as pregnant and lactating women were among the most vulnerable and in need of \u201clifesaving nutrition services in 2023,\u201d it said.
\nSudan was already one of the world\u2019s poorest countries when the international aid on which it depended was cut in late 2021, in response to a military coup that derailed a fragile democratic transition.
\n\u201cAbout 15.8 million people \u2014 roughly a third of the population \u2014 will need humanitarian assistance in 2023. This increase of 1.5 million people compared to 2022 is the highest since 2011,\u201d OCHA said.
\nIn addition to conflict that has displaced millions, hunger and malnutrition, Sudan is one of the countries hardest hit by climate change in the world.
\nWidespread flooding last year has affected some 349,000 people, according to the UN, sparking a surge in diseases, contributing to growing displacement and further straining the economy.
\nCases of malaria \u201ccrossed the epidemic threshold in 14 states\u201d out of Sudan\u2019s 18, twice as many as 2021, OCHA said.
\nSudan grappled with chronic hardships under the regime of Omar Al-Bashir, who was ousted in 2019. His three-decade rule was marked by internal conflicts, government mismanagement and punishing international sanctions.
\nEconomic troubles deepened following the COVID-19 pandemic and a 2021 military coup which derailed a post-Bashir transition and triggered cuts to crucial international aid.
\nAccess to services grew even worse last year.
\nAround 30 percent of the population \u201cmust walk for more than an hour\u201d to the closest medical institution, while it takes \u201cmore than 50 minutes to fetch water\u201d for around 26 percent of the population, OCHA said.
\nLikewise, 46 percent of schools lack access to drinking water while 71 percent do not have hand-washing facilities.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Sudan was already one of the world\u2019s poorest countries when international aid on which it depended was cut in late 2021 KHARTOUM More than a third of Sudan\u2019s population will need humanitarian assistance in 2023 as displacement and hunger grow, the United Nations has said. \u201cThe number of acutely food insecure people continued to increase […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":316477,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-316462","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n