AFRICA | SUDAN, DR CONGO FACE "MASSIVE" NEEDS AMID CRITICAL FUNDING GAPS

AFRICA, May 11, 2025 - Blood-soaked soil and empty promises define the humanitarian landscape in Sudan, where more than 30 million civilians are caught in the crosshairs of a brutal civil war that has raged since April 2023. The staggering death toll exceeds 18,000, with another 13 million forced to flee their homes in what has become one of the world's most neglected humanitarian catastrophes.

Sudan now stands as ground zero in the global hunger crisis—a horrifying distinction as the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) wage their merciless campaign against each other with civilians caught in the crossfire. The country now harbors half of the world's population facing catastrophic hunger, a damning indictment of both warring factions and the international community's anemic response.

The human toll is staggering: approximately 4.7 million children under five, along with pregnant and breastfeeding women, suffer from acute malnutrition as food supplies dwindle and medical care collapses.

"Massive" is how UN Humanitarian Affairs Coordinator Tom Fletcher described the needs on Thursday, a word that barely scratches the surface of the unfolding tragedy. Despite heroic efforts by the World Food Programme to deliver assistance to over 300,000 people in the Zamzam displacement camp alone, aid workers navigate an increasingly treacherous landscape.

The convoy that finally reached Zamzam—the first since famine was officially confirmed in August—represents both triumph and tragedy. It took a grueling two weeks to complete the journey from the Adre border crossing with Chad, a distance that in peacetime would require mere hours.

WFP officials report that the deadly combination of intense fighting around El Fasher, North Darfur's capital, and roads rendered impassable during the June-to-September rainy season effectively cut off food assistance for months, condemning thousands to slow starvation.

"Our humanitarian colleagues also underscore the urgent need for stepped-up, flexible funding to sustain and expand life-saving support for people in need in North Darfur and elsewhere in Sudan," UN Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq told reporters Friday, his clinical diplomatic language masking the desperate reality on the ground.

The lifeline to these millions hangs by a thread. Drone strikes hammer Port Sudan, the critical gateway for humanitarian supplies, while violence intensifies across North Darfur. The UN's plea to warring parties—"facilitate safe, unhindered and sustained access"—rings hollow against the backdrop of bombs and bullets that have become the daily soundtrack for millions.

Meanwhile, just south in the Democratic Republic of Congo, another humanitarian nightmare unfolds in slow motion. Violence has uprooted nearly seven million people, with M23 rebels continuing their relentless advance. The funding shortfall has forced humanitarian organizations into an impossible game of triage, deciding which desperate communities receive the limited aid available.

The numbers tell a damning story: Of the $2.5 billion needed to assist 11 million vulnerable Congolese this year, a paltry $233 million has materialized. "That's only half the amount we had secured by this time last year," Haq noted, his words underscoring the world's fading attention even as needs multiply exponentially.

Adding fuel to this humanitarian inferno, six DRC provinces now battle cholera outbreaks with medical supplies running dangerously low. OCHA's calls for increased civilian protection and support to prevent essential services from collapsing seem increasingly like shouting into the void as the international community turns its gaze elsewhere.

In a rare glimmer of responsive action, UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Fletcher released two emergency funding allocations on Friday. The first provides $2.5 million to support more than 40,000 Congolese refugees who have fled to Uganda since January, offering essential services including clean water, food, and healthcare.

The second allocation directs $1.8 million toward combating Angola's worst cholera outbreak in twenty years. The disease has swept through 17 of Angola's 21 provinces, infecting more than 18,000 people and claiming 586 lives as of May 7th.

These emergency funds, while critical, represent mere drops in an ocean of need—stopgap measures for crises that require sustained global commitment. As violence continues to consume Sudan and the DRC, and disease stalks vulnerable populations across the region, the international community's tepid response raises a haunting question: How many more must die before the world decides these lives are worth saving?

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