the Voice of
The Communist League of Revolutionary Workers–Internationalist
“The emancipation of the working class will only be achieved by the working class itself.”
— Karl Marx
the Voice of
The Communist League of Revolutionary Workers–Internationalist
“The emancipation of the working class will only be achieved by the working class itself.”
— Karl Marx
Aug 5, 2024
Two groups that monitor hunger around the world have declared a famine in Sudan. Observers from the two organizations said that half a million people trapped in the Zamzam refugee camp in the North Darfur region have not been getting any food aid since June.
Right now, Sudan is facing the world’s largest hunger crisis—and this in a fertile country that was once known as a “bread basket.” This catastrophe is man-made; it is the result of a 15-month civil war. Two generals, who together put down massive anti-government protests in 2019, have been locked in a brutal war for power for the last 15 months.
The armies of these two generals have not only been attacking and robbing civilians, but they have also been confiscating food and medical supplies—including the already meager international aid. The city of El Fasher in North Darfur, where the official famine declaration was made, has been besieged by one of the armies since April; and both warring armies have been preventing international aid trucks from reaching the population.
It’s not just the Zamzam camp—the war in fact has uprooted more than 10 million people in Sudan, creating the world’s worst refugee crisis as well. And, according to the World Food Program, more than 24 million people, or about half the population of Sudan, are facing “crisis-level” hunger. In fact, the U.N. reported that 750,000 people in Sudan are already in the process of starving to death.
Experts say that an official declaration of famine is rare, and it is made to push governments, especially those of the wealthier countries, to mobilize donations and aid. That’s nothing but creating a false hope, to say the least.
No, the world’s big powers, above all the U.S., are not into humanitarian aid. They are in fact focused on two other wars right now, in Gaza and Ukraine. And the billions of dollars the U.S. has been pouring into those wars are used to advance the interests of U.S. imperialism—killing, maiming and starving tens of thousands of civilians in those parts of the world as well.