Millions of people could starve to death in Sudan before Christmas, the Conservative Party has warned, as it urged the Government to take “urgent” action on the conflict.
Shadow foreign secretary Andrew Mitchell said 13 million could die amid the ongoing civil war in the East African country, where the Sudanese army has been fighting Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militants since April 2023.
More than 10 million people have been displaced with reports of reports of mass killings, widespread sexual violence against women and girls, and the destruction of homes and livelihoods.
The war in Sudan represents the largest humanitarian crisis, largest hunger crisis and largest displacement crisis in the world
Unicef said at least 124 people were killed in the state of Al Jazirah in the last week.
Mr Mitchell (Con, Sutton Coldfield) said: “The war in Sudan represents the largest humanitarian crisis, largest hunger crisis and largest displacement crisis in the world, but it has been almost entirely neglected because of the crises in the Middle East and Ukraine.
“In the 18 months since hostilities erupted, tens of thousands have been killed, more than 10 million people displaced horrifically. This winter, 13 million face death by starvation.”
He said the actions of the RSF, backed by Russia, were a “deliberate strategy to destroy a population based on their identity”.
“The world cannot stand by while Sudan’s children face unspeakable horrors. We must act now to safeguard their future and uphold their right to safety and peace."
— UNICEF Sudan (@UNICEFSudan) October 28, 2024
STATEMENT by @unicefchief https://t.co/ZC7QQ6SOIw
Mr Mitchell added: “As Christmas approaches, from the comfort of our homes, we are going to witness, in a world of plenty, the hideous spectre of mass starvation. Urgent is an understatement. We must do more and act now.”
Foreign minister Anneliese Dodds (Lab, Oxford East) said: “The new Government is absolutely determined not to neglect this crisis. The word he just used was ‘hideous’. That truly is the case.”
Ms Dodds said the conflict was being carried out by two sides “out for themselves, most definitely not the people of Sudan who are being held ransom because of this”.
She added: “We are doing all we can within the UN and bilaterally as well to make sure that the UK is providing leadership on this horrendous situation.
We are doing all we can within the UN and bilaterally as well to make sure that the UK is providing leadership on this horrendous situation
“The Foreign Secretary I know has raised this repeatedly, so have I, in a whole range of different conflicts, including bilaterally and multilaterally as well.”
Liberal Democrat international development spokesperson Monica Harding urged the Government to put forward a UN security council resolution for safe zones, as well as no-fly zones.
Ms Dodds said: “She is absolutely right to underline the fact that we must see an end to hostilities.”
She added: “The two warring parties both appear to believe they can win this war, they are continuing their hostilities but the impact of that on the civilian population is extreme. There must be an end to hostilities and the UK Government is doing all it can to advocate for that.”
