Sameera Casmod | sameerac@radioislam.co.za
06 August 2024 | 11:40 a.m. CAT
1-minute read

The ongoing famine in Sudan’s Zamzam camp near al Fasher in northern Darfur has reached extreme proportions and is likely to persist until October, according to the UN’s hunger monitoring system.

The camp, with a population of 500 000, is the last remaining resistance against the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) across the region.

“The RSF has besieged this area, and no aid has reached the camp for a long time,” Sudanese journalist Saeed Abdullah said on Radio Islam’s Africa Report.

Sudanese people in North Darfur, particularly displaced refugees in the Zamzam camp, are experiencing the worst form of hunger, with 1 in 5 people or households severely lacking food and facing starvation, which is causing critical levels of acute malnutrition and death.

“Some Sudanese have been forced to eat leaves and soil,” Abdullah said.

In the east part of Sudan, meanwhile, the head of the de facto Sudanese government Al-Burhan, survived a drone attack on a military base during an army graduation ceremony.

The RSF has denied responsibility for the attack which killed 5 people and has blamed it on internal military disruptions.

Peace talks between the RSF and Sudanese army are set to take place in Geneva, Switzerland under the auspices of the United States and Saudi Arabia.

The negotiations, due to begin in 10 days’ time, are seen as positive moves towards opening humanitarian corridors, reducing hostilities between warring parties, and long term political solutions for Sudan.

The outcome remains to be seen. It is possible that Sudan, with rich mineral resources, will remain embroiled in turmoil, both from internal and external sources, as various factions vie for economic dominance and control over its wealth.

Listen to the Africa Report on Sabaahul Muslim with Moulana Sulaimaan Ravat.