ISTANBUL

The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) on Wednesday warned that the ongoing famine in parts of Sudan could spread to other parts of the country.

"Famine has been confirmed in parts of Sudan, with the risk of famine touching other parts of the country, as well as South Sudan. Famine means we are already too late, and people are beginning to die from the effects of undernutrition," Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus wrote on US social media company X.

He noted that prolonged conflict, forced displacement, economic instability and climatic shocks drive "alarming levels of food insecurity, and "called for "a massive scale up" of food assistance.

"There is no time to waste, but there are limitations to what we can do without humanitarian access," Ghebreyesus added.

According to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), famine has now been declared in El-Fasher and the besieged town of Kadugli. The International Criminal Court also recently warned that the reported atrocities in El-Fasher may constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity.

The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has recently taken control of Bara and El-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state, as part of its ongoing war with the Sudanese army, though it denies targeting civilians.

Since April 15, 2023, the Sudanese army and the RSF have been locked in a war that regional and international mediations have failed to end. The conflict has killed thousands of people and displaced millions of others.