The World - News from Oct. 20, 1988

Sudan’s Prime Minister Sadek Mahdi said the death toll from civil war and famine in his country is 20 times lower than Western estimates, and he rejected criticism of his handling of the crisis. Mahdi said his government has taken “great measures” in trying to help thousands of refugees. Western relief officials, who compare the situation in Sudan to the Ethiopian famine of recent years, say that about 260,000 people have died this year because of lack of food and medical care during long treks to escape fighting in southern Sudan. Mahdi said in an interview that he thinks only about 13,000 people have died.