U.N. Says Famine in Sudan Could Claim Thousands of Lives by July
More than 3 million people in Sudan are threatened by famine, and thousands could die by July, the U.N. World Food Program warned Thursday.
A severe drought has added to the misery caused by an 18-year civil war and previous famines that have left 2 million people dead and more than 4 million displaced, said Massoud Hyder, the WFP’s representative in Sudan.
“We have a critical situation in Sudan--the WFP is running out of food at a time when we are supporting 3 million people there,” Hyder said at a news conference in London. “If you went to Sudan today, you would not see dead bodies. But it will be a lot different by July--devastatingly different.”
He said the WFP is making an international appeal for $135 million. It takes about three months to get aid to people in Sudan, so it is critical that governments respond now, he said.
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