The collapse of Sudan’s health system, and the spreading famine in the ongoing conflict that has gripped the country for more than a year, threaten the lives of a million people, according to World Health Organization (WHO) Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. Sudan has been in the midst of a conflict between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.
“People are dying from lack of access to essential services and medicines, while there is a very real risk of mass starvation in some regions,” said Dr. Tedros according to TASS. Tedros added that the Sudan is “the world’s largest humanitarian crisis.” He pointed to the fact that 70% of hospitals in conflict-hit regions are not functioning.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) published a report on June 11, saying that, since the war broke out in April 2023, more than 10 million Sudanese have been displaced, including 7.26 million who have fled their homes during the current conflict, and 2.83 million already displaced by previous conflicts. This represents more than 20% of the population of 48 million. Some 55% of those displaced are children under 18 years old, and approximately a quarter are young children under 5, the IOM added.
[Sputnik](https://en.sputniknews.africa/20240612/more-than-10-million-people-displaced-in-war-torn-sudan-says-iom-1067012495.html ) reports that the conflict has killed tens of thousands, including up to 15,000 in a single West Darfur town, where the Rapid Support Force has been on a devastating rampage. While the overall death toll remains unclear, there are some estimates of up to 150,000, according to the U.S. special envoy for Sudan, Tom Perriello.