Sudan North Darfur: People eat animal feed in times of need

Thousands of starving people in the Zamzam refugee camp in the North Darfur region of Sudan have received food rations from the World Food Program (WFP) for the first time in months.

The situation was so desperate that residents had to eat crushed peanut shells, said WFP spokeswoman Leni Kinzli. These are normally used to feed animals. "There are parents throughout the camp whose children have died of malnutrition," she added.

The WFP has been trying for months to obtain security guarantees for food transports from the conflict parties in the embattled region, often in vain. The organization is celebrating the arrival of trucks with food for around 12,500 people as a breakthrough. The Zamzam camp is located on the edge of the embattled capital of North Darfur, El Fasher. In total, the WFP is on the road in Sudan with 700 trucks to various parts of the country. The vehicles carry food for 1.5 million people for one month.

A bloody power struggle has been raging in Sudan since April 2023 between ruler Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his former deputy Mohamed Hamdan Daglo. More than eleven million people have been displaced in the country or have fled to neighboring countries. The parties to the conflict are accused of serious crimes against humanity, including ethnic expulsions in Darfur.

SDA