Sudan Descends Into Famine
Humanitarian Agencies Plead for Help
A recent report from Angelus News reveals the escalating condition of Sudan’s catastrophic famine that has been exacerbated by ongoing civil war, particularly in areas like Nuba and Darfur. Sudan Relief Fund is among the few charitable agencies responding to the crisis in a vast humanitarian emergency that is largely being ignored.
The conflict has displaced over 10 million people, leaving them without access to food, clean water, and medical care, making it the worst humanitarian disaster in the world today. However, the dangerous conditions and logistical obstacles posed by the conflict have made it challenging to provide consistent and timely assistance, often hampering aid efforts.
Despite these challenges, Sudan Relief Fund continues to deliver life-saving support, particularly in areas like the Nuba Mountains, where Mother of Mercy is one of the few hospitals still operating during the civil war, providing critical medical care for the sick, injured, and malnourished. The article describes Dr. Tom Catena, hospital administrator and chief surgeon, and his team as “a glimmer of hope” in a famine that is on par to rival the travesty of Ethiopia during the 1980s.
Sudan Relief Fund also continues to provide food relief, clean water, shelter, and medical aid to the most vulnerable populations in places like the Malakal refugee camp, where hundreds of thousands of displaced have crossed the border from Sudan into South Sudan to escape the war. In conjunction with the local diocese, Sudan Relief Fund also operates a transport boat that carries refugee families safely to the only northern entry point into South Sudan.
Local Bishop Stephen Nyodho tells how the diocese was not prepared to receive so many displaced people, but with the help of Sudan Relief Fund they have been “able to provide daily rations for the refugees.” The diocese also provides priests in the camp who offer Mass to Catholic refugees. The Bishop says the presence of the priests creates “a concrete sign of hope to the desperate people of God.”
Sudan Relief Fund’s efforts continue to offer a lifeline to the millions affected by the devastating civil war and famine, although the scale of the crisis remains vast, and the need for continued international support is urgent.
