Trending 
WFP Acting Executive Director Carl Skau issued the warning while addressing the UN Security Council on Sudan’s hunger crisis.
He said basic food costs in Sudan have risen by almost 40 percent since February, worsening conditions for millions already facing severe hunger.
“Conflict is the leading driver of hunger around the world,” Skau said. “It is not only a consequence of conflict, it is increasingly being used as a weapon.”
He also explained how conflicts outside Sudan are affecting food access in the country.
“One oil tanker anchored in the Strait of Hormuz can mean one less meal a day for a child in Sudan,” Skau said.
Skau described Sudan as the world’s worst hunger crisis and urged the international community to act before famine is officially declared.
“Take action before famine is declared and before agricultural seasons are lost. Just look at Sudan,” he told the Council.
He said early action could have prevented famine in Sudan last year and warned that delays would lead to more suffering.
Skau also criticised the international community for failing to respond to warnings about atrocities in El-Fasher, North Darfur.
“We all saw the atrocities in El-Fasher coming, but the international community, including this council, failed to act on those warnings,” he said.
During a visit to Tawila in Darfur, Skau said he saw about 700,000 displaced people living in grass huts after fleeing El-Fasher.
“The people I met there felt completely abandoned,” he said, noting their dependence on limited humanitarian assistance.
Skau described waiting for famine to be declared as “a total failure of duty” and called for stronger protection of civilians, food systems and humanitarian workers.
He also urged continued humanitarian access and greater political action to address the conflict.
“We can’t pull back in Sudan just as we secure access for scaling up,” Skau said.
