West warns of famine risk in Sudan as civil war grinds on

The US and 30 other Western states have warned of an "alarming deterioration" in food security in Sudan, urging the warring sides in the civil war to remove obstacles to humanitarian aid to prevent famine. In a joint statement, the signatories said conflict was the main driver of Sudan's hunger crisis, damaging critical infrastructure and disrupting food production. "There is very little to survive on," Yusuf Roble, regional director for Islamic Relief East Africa, told BBC Newsday, describing how people returning to Omdurman were finding their homes destroyed or looted. The war, which began in April 2023, has displaced 14 million people.