They fled war in Sudan. But they haven’t been able to flee the hunger

Khadiga Omer adam sits by her sick child in an MSF-run clinic in the Aboutengue displacement site near Acre, Chad, Friday, Oct 4. 2024. (AP)
Short Url
Updated 03 December 2024
Follow

They fled war in Sudan. But they haven’t been able to flee the hunger

  • Food in the markets is sparse, prices have spiked and aid groups say they struggle to reach the most vulnerable as warring parties limit access
  • Aid workers say funding is not enough

ADRE:For months, Aziza Abrahim fled from one village in Sudan to the next as people were slaughtered. Yet the killing of relatives and her husband’s disappearance aren’t what forced the 23-year-old to leave the country for good. It was hunger, she said.
“We don’t have anything to eat because of the war,” Abrahim said, cradling her 1-year-old daughter under the sheet where she now shelters, days after crossing into Chad.
The war in Sudan has created vast hunger, including famine. It has pushed people off their farms. Food in the markets is sparse, prices have spiked and aid groups say they’re struggling to reach the most vulnerable as warring parties limit access.
Some 24,000 people have been killed and millions displaced during the war that erupted in April 2023, sparked by tensions between the military and a powerful paramilitary group, the Rapid Support Forces. Global experts confirmed famine in the Zamzam displacement camp in July. They warn that some 25 million people — more than half of Sudan’s population — are expected to face acute hunger this year.
“People are starving to death at the moment ... It’s man-made. It’s these men with guns and power who deny women and children food,” Jan Egeland, head of the Norwegian Refugee Council, told The Associated Press. Warring parties on both sides are blocking assistance and delaying authorization for aid groups, he said.
Between May and September, there were seven malnutrition-related deaths among children in one hospital at a displacement site in Chad run by Doctors Without Borders, known by its French acronym MSF. Such deaths can be from disease in hunger-weakened bodies.
In September, MSF was forced to stop caring for 5,000 malnourished children in North Darfur for several weeks, citing repeated, deliberate obstructions and blockades. US President Joe Biden has called on both sides to allow unhindered access and stop killing civilians.
But the fighting shows no signs of slowing. More than 2,600 people were killed across the country in October, according to the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project, which called it the bloodiest month of the war.
Violence is intensifying around North Darfur’s capital, El Fasher, the only capital in the vast western Darfur region that the RSF doesn’t hold. Darfur has experienced some of the war’s worst atrocities, and the International Criminal Court prosecutor has said there are grounds to believe both sides may be committing war crimes, crimes against humanity or genocide.
Abrahim escaped her village in West Darfur and sought refuge for more than a year in nearby towns with friends and relatives. Her husband had left home to find work before the war, and she hasn’t heard from him since.
She struggled to eat and feed their daughter. Unable to farm, she cut wood and sold it in Chad, traveling eight hours by donkey there and back every few days, earning enough to buy grain. But after a few months the wood ran out, forcing her to leave for good.
Others who have fled to Chad described food prices spiking three-fold and stocks dwindling in the market. There were no vegetables, just grains and nuts.
Awatif Adam came to Chad in October. Her husband wasn’t making enough transporting people with his donkey cart, and it was too risky to farm, she said. Her 6-year-old twin girls and 3-year-old son lost weight and were always hungry.
“My children were saying all the time, ‘Mom, give us food’,” she said. Their cries drove her to leave.
As more people stream into Chad, aid groups worry about supporting them.
Some 700,000 Sudanese have entered since the war began. Many live in squalid refugee camps or shelter at the border in makeshift displacement sites. And the number of arrivals at the Adre crossing between August and October jumped from 6,100 to 14,800, according to government and UN data., though it was not clear whether some people entered multiple times.
Earlier this year, the World Food Program cut rations by roughly half in Chad, citing a lack of funding.
While there’s now enough money to return to full rations until the start of next year, more arrivals will strain the system and more hunger will result if funding doesn’t keep pace, said Ramazani Karabaye, head of the World Food Program’s operations in Adre.
During an AP visit to Adre in October, some people who fled Sudan at the start of the war said they were still struggling.
Khadiga Omer Adam said she doesn’t have enough aid or money to eat regularly, which has complicated breastfeeding her already malnourished daughter, Salma Issa. The 35-year-old gave birth during the war’s initial days, delivering alone in West Darfur. It was too dangerous for a midwife to reach her.
Adam had clutched the baby as she fled through villages, begging for food. More than a year later, she sat on a hospital bed holding a bag of fluid above her daughter, who was fed through a tube in her nose.
“I have confidence in the doctors ... I believe she’ll improve, I don’t think she’ll die,” she said.
The MSF-run clinic in the Aboutengue camp admitted more than 340 cases of severely malnourished children in August and September. Staff fear that number could rise. The arid climate in Chad south of the Sahara Desert means it’s hard to farm, and there’s little food variety, health workers said.
People are fleeing Sudan into difficult conditions, said Dr. Oula Dramane Ouattara, head of MSF’s medical activities in the camp.
”If things go on like this, I’m afraid the situation will get out of control,” he said.


Houthis ready to launch attacks on Israel if war on Gaza resumes, leader says

Updated 8 sec ago
Follow

Houthis ready to launch attacks on Israel if war on Gaza resumes, leader says

  • “Our hands are on the trigger and we are ready to immediately escalate against the Israeli enemy if it returns to escalation in the Gaza Strip,” Al-Houthi said

DUBAI: The Houthis are ready to mount attacks on Israel if it resumes its assault on Gaza and does not commit to the ceasefire deal, the group’s leader Abdulmalik Al-Houthi said on Tuesday.
The Houthis had attacked Israeli and other vessels in the Red Sea, disturbing global shipping lanes, in what they said were acts of solidarity with Gaza’s Palestinians during Israel’s war with Hamas.
“Our hands are on the trigger and we are ready to immediately escalate against the Israeli enemy if it returns to escalation in the Gaza Strip,” Al-Houthi said in a televised speech.
The Gaza ceasefire deal appears fragile after Hamas said it would stop releasing Israeli hostages over what the Palestinian militant group called Israeli violations of the agreement.
In response, Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz instructed the military to be at the highest level of readiness in Gaza and for domestic defense.
The Houthis, part of Iran’s anti-Israel and anti-Western regional alliance known as the Axis of Resistance, have also launched missiles and drones toward Israel, hundreds of kilometers to the north.


Loyalty must be to the state alone, Aoun tells Lebanon ministers

Updated 49 min 8 sec ago
Follow

Loyalty must be to the state alone, Aoun tells Lebanon ministers

  • Salam’s government told to focus on reforms that will ‘revive the nation’
  • Joseph Aoun: ‘Our focus will be on reforming and developing the ministries’

BEIRUT: Lebanese President Joseph Aoun has told ministers in the country’s new government that their “loyalty and allegiance must be to the state alone, not to any other entity.”

Speaking after the official group photo in the presidential palace courtyard, Aoun also told the 24 ministers in Prime Minister Nawaf Salam’s government that they “are here to serve the people, not the other way around.”

“The key issue is not just the formation of the government but proving credibility by initiating anti-corruption efforts and carrying out administrative, judicial, and security appointments,” he said.

Aoun urged ministers to focus on urgent issues, primarily the state budget, municipal and local elections, and the Israeli withdrawal on Feb. 18.

During the first government session, Aoun said that ministers should “refrain from directing any criticism toward friendly and brotherly nations,” adding that Lebanon should not be used as a “platform for such criticisms.”

Salam’s government, the first under Aoun’s presidency, does not include direct party members but rather specialists nominated by political parties.

Aoun said “the country is not bankrupt, but the administration is,” highlighting the need to revive the nation through reforms that ministers and the government will work to implement.

“Our focus will be on reforming and developing the ministries in light of the significant international support we have received. The opportunities are available to seize this support, provided we carry out the necessary reforms,” he said.‏

In turn, Salam called on the ministers “to ensure a complete separation between public and private work.”

He added: “To avoid any confusion, ministers must fully dedicate themselves to their governmental duties and step down from any leadership or board positions in commercial companies or banks.”

However, Salam added that “this does not apply to memberships in educational or social organizations that serve the public good.”

Following the meeting, Minister of Information Paul Morcos confirmed that a ministerial committee had been set up to draft a constitutional statement that is expected to be completed within days.

Morcos said that “the prime minister assured the ministers that this is not a time for political bickering, and that there won’t be any obstructions.”

He said that “many ideas are being discussed, and solutions will ultimately be reached.”

A political source said the ministerial statement will “emphasize the need to dismantle the Israeli occupation of Lebanese territories and implement Resolution 1701,” as outlined in the president’s oath speech.

Joe Al-Khoury, the newly appointed industry minister, described the session as “an excellent start.”

Tarek Mitri, deputy prime minister, said that the first meeting of the ministerial committee tasked with drafting the ministerial statement “will be held in the afternoon.”

Salam received a congratulatory phone call from Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, UAE foreign minister, on the formation of the new government.

While the handover process continues between outgoing and incoming ministers, the government must secure the confidence of parliament after presenting the ministerial statement before it can officially begin its work.

In a notable development, the Cassation Public Prosecutor Jamal Hajjar, received for the first time a memorandum of formal defenses from Judge Tarek Bitar, investigative judge in the Beirut port explosion case, submitted by one of the defendants.

This step has been regarded as a “restoration of the investigation sessions regarding the port to the proper legal procedures, after the former Cassation Public Prosecutor Ghassan Oueidat refrained from accepting any documents from Judge Bitar.”

Bitar resumed his examination of the case last Friday after a hiatus that lasted over three years.

The Lebanese National News Agency reported that Bitar questioned several defendants, including current and former employees and officers of the customs department, at the beginning of the week.

On Aug. 4, 2020, a catastrophic explosion at the port of Beirut devastated the city’s waterfront, killing more than 230 people and injuring thousands.

However, the investigation into the blast, which included charges against a former prime minister, ministers, and high-ranking officials for administrative negligence, has been suspended since the end of 2021 due to lawsuits filed against Bitar.

Hezbollah and the Amal Movement also attempted to intimidate Bitar through warnings from the Beirut Palace of Justice, as well as armed protests demanding his resignation, which escalated into violent clashes known as the Tayouneh Incident.


Abbas risks Palestinian backlash over overhaul of prisoner payments

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas speaks during a conference at the Arab League headquarters in Cairo, Egypt. (File/AP)
Updated 11 February 2025
Follow

Abbas risks Palestinian backlash over overhaul of prisoner payments

  • Announcement seems aimed at removing a potential source of tension with Trump and an attempt to preserve the PA’s role

RAMALLAH: President Mahmoud Abbas faced criticism from allies and foes alike on Tuesday over a decree overhauling payments to families of Palestinians killed or jailed by Israel, a move to satisfy a US demand that will likely deepen his unpopularity.
Palestinian Authority leader Abbas, 89, issued the decree on Monday overturning the system, long condemned by critics as rewarding attacks on Israel but viewed among Palestinians as a vital source of welfare for detainees’ families.
The sudden announcement seems aimed at removing a potential source of tension with US President Donald Trump and an attempt to preserve the PA’s role as Washington bolsters its pro-Israeli approach to the conflict, Palestinian analysts said.
“The goal is to try to open a good page with Trump at a time when Trump has completely turned his back on the Palestinians by calling for displacement” of Palestinians from Gaza, said Hani Al-Masri, a Palestinian political analyst in Ramallah.
Scrapping the system of salary-type payments, dubbed “pay for slay” by critics — a label rejected by Palestinians — has been a major demand of successive US administrations. Abbas had long resisted pressure to halt the program.
The PA will instead provide support to families of prisoners via a social welfare network, according to need rather than their length of imprisonment. Qadura Fares, the Palestinian official responsible for prisoner affairs, said between 35,000 and 40,000 families would be affected.
Fares, a member of Abbas’ Fatah Movement, told a news conference “a fireball” had been thrown in Abbas’ lap, underlining the huge sensitivities of ending a system introduced under the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat in the 1990s.
Hamas condemns move
Beneficiaries have included families in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip and Palestinians living in Lebanon, Syria and elsewhere — as well as those considered for release under the phased Gaza war ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas.
Israel’s foreign ministry dismissed the change as a ruse, saying payments would continue through other channels.
Masri said the public reaction would depend on how the move was implemented, saying that if payments to prisoners were totally scrapped, “it will be the straw that breaks the camel’s back.”
“This decision weakens the legitimacy and popularity of the president, which is already weak,” he added.
Palestinian opinion polls consistently show Abbas to be unpopular among Palestinians.
The Palestinian militant group Hamas condemned the decree saying it amounted to abandoning the cause “of the prisoners, the wounded, and the families of the martyrs” at a “critical juncture in the history of our Palestinian cause.”
The Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority, established under interim peace accords with Israel three decades ago, exercises limited self rule over patches of the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
The salaries and services it provides helped keep Abbas and his Fatah faction politically relevant in the face of expanding Israeli settlements and the political challenge posed by Hamas, which seized Gaza from Abbas’ control in 2007.
The decision comes as the PA faces mounting financial pressure from a slowdown in aid, a squeeze on a system of tax revenue transfers by Israel and a slump in contributions from Palestinians who have been shut out of the Israeli labor market by the war in Gaza.
Israel has been deducting the payments made by the authority from taxes collected on its behalf from goods that cross its territory to Palestinian areas.
The PA has appealed for more aid from Arab and European states to make up for the shortfall of billions of shekels but has so far struggled to make headway.


UAE president meets Pakistani PM ahead of World Governments Summit

Updated 11 February 2025
Follow

UAE president meets Pakistani PM ahead of World Governments Summit

  • Leaders discuss cooperation on trade, need for peace between Israel, Palestine
  • Dubai hosting 3-day meeting of global leaders, innovators

LONDON: UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan welcomed Pakistani Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday ahead of the World Governments Summit.

During their talks, at Qasr Al-Shati in Abu Dhabi, the two leaders discussed ways to deepen cooperation and enhance ties between their countries in the economic, trade and development fields, the Emirates News Agency reported.

The meeting highlighted the summit’s role in identifying global governance trends and preparing governments to deal with global changes, the report said.

Al-Nahyan and Sharif also discussed regional and international issues, emphasizing the importance of lasting peace between Israel and Palestine through a two-state solution to ensure security and stability in the region.

Sharif reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to strengthening its relationship with the UAE and enhancing cooperation.

Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan and his representative in the Al-Dhafra region, Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, also attended the meeting, along with other ministers and senior officials.


GCC ready for economy of ideas era, ministers tell summit

Updated 11 February 2025
Follow

GCC ready for economy of ideas era, ministers tell summit

  • Saudi Economy Minister Faisal Alibrahim said that collaboration is essential among GCC member states and should not be seen as a weakness

DUBAI: Gulf Cooperation Council countries are taking substantial steps to diversify their economies based on a model of the economy of ideas, the World Governments Summit was told on Tuesday.

Multiple schemes and visions have been launched within the GCC, reflecting the region’s commitment to long-term economic diversification beyond the energy sector, economic ministers from the bloc said.

At the World Governments Summit 2025 annual meeting in Dubai, Saudi Economy Minister Faisal Alibrahim said that collaboration is essential among GCC member states and should not be seen as a weakness, but an opportunity.

“Economies such as logistics, healthcare and the new health tech, there’s agriculture, there’s agricultural tech, financial stocks and funds globally,” he added.

“It is important to recognize that GCC countries share common opportunities and challenges, so collaboration is key on both the regional and global levels. Integration should not be seen as a compromise, but a potential big opportunity on integration, on infrastructure and logistics policies,” said Albrahim.

Bahrain’s minister of finance and national economy, Salman Al-Khalifa, said: “Diversification means the need to reinvest, reinvent and lower our dependence on oil, nurture emerging sectors, but also to build new economic fields.”

Economic diversification has made the GCC resilient and boosted economic development, he added, highlighting that Saudi Arabia has made huge strides in that regard.

“Non-oil sectors made up 83 percent of Bahrain’s gross domestic product, and Bahrain is already investing in the future economy of human capital, technology and building a strong infrastructure for that, such as the first worldwide Data Sovereignty Law,” Al-Khalifa said.

“We are seeing great progress in non-oil sectors in the GCC; non-oil sectors now makes up 50 percent of the economy,” he added.

In the UAE, non-oil sectors now make up 74 percent of the economy and in Saudi Arabia, the figure stands at 70 percent, Al-Khalifa said.

The speakers highlighted the GCC’s falling reliance on oil and gas revenues by investing in renewable energy, technology and knowledge-based industries.

Discussions highlighted the need for sustainable economic policies that balance development with the preservation of natural resources for future generations.

GCC Secretary-General Jasem Al-Budaiwi said that the economy was a topic of discussion for everyone but the world was looking to the GCC for guidance.

“The world discovered a truth: We (the GCC) are, in fact, an economic entity. We are credible, we follow up on our word and as the GCC the world is listening to what we say, and following what we do,” he said.

Human capital is at the core of developing a sustainable economy in the GCC, Al-Khalifa said.

“First is the human capital. There is a need to make sure that the human capital we have in the GCC region is the finest human capital in global standards,” he added.

“The GCC has the most developed infrastructure, from the data center to telecom and cloud internet, and regulations are well suited for the economic transition from industrialized economies to an economy of ideas.

“There are many other examples, whether it is in fintech, whether it’s in logistics, whether it’s in technology, where governments can make a difference by exhausting the right set of regulations. So, those are the three things that we need to make sure that we’re always focused,” Al-Khalifa said.

IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said that deepening regional economic integration and pooling resources together makes the GCC more powerful and creates healthy competition in the region.

“Trade among GCC countries grew rapidly; good exports tripled in the last decade to $70 million,” she added.