Sudan: World Hunger Day: Urgent global action needed as hunger doubles in a decade

Countries: Sudan, occupied Palestinian territory, Somalia Source: Islamic Relief Millions of lives are at risk unless international governments urgently renew commitment to tackle the worsening global hunger crisis, Islamic Relief warns. Levels of hunger have doubled in the past decade, reversing years of sustained progress on food security that has saved many lives. Time is now rapidly running out to achieve the global goal of ending hunger by 2030 . (i) Hunger is not inevitable – there is enough food in the world for everyone, but inequality, climate change and conflict prevent many people from accessing it. Now global aid cuts are reversing hard-won gains, and the Middle East war is further disrupting supply chains and pushing up prices of staple goods, affecting the poorest people most of all. In Sudan three years of war has forced families and farmers off their land and disrupted agricultural production, creating the world’s biggest hunger crisis – at least 19.5 million people are suffering food shortages. (ii) In Gaza, 87% of all crop land has been damaged, leaving almost 80% of people reliant on humanitarian aid which Israel continues to impede. One in five Palestinians there are surviving on just one meal a day. (iii) In Somalia, prolonged drought has left 1.9 million young children needing treatment for acute malnutrition . With some areas now at risk of famine, funding cuts mean humanitarian aid is reaching just 12% of people in need. (iv) War is one of the biggest drivers of hunger. A Sudanese farmer, Ahmed Hajj Bakhit, 60, told Islamic Relief that armed groups looted and destroyed his land and machinery: “I’ve been farming in this area for over 40 years. Before the war we were doing very well. We had cows, lemon trees, and produced large quantities of clover. All year round...

Original source: Relief Web