The General Coordination of Displaced Persons and Refugees in Darfur has warned of an imminent famine across the region as a result of severe drought caused by insufficient rainfall, coupled with an unprecedented surge in the prices of sorghum and other essential food commodities.
The Coordination’s official spokesperson, Adam Rijal, said that the unusually low rainfall during the current rainy season, combined with soaring food prices, could lead to a humanitarian catastrophe unless humanitarian organizations intervene urgently.
He noted that residents in many areas can no longer afford to purchase sorghum and millet, the two staple grains that form the foundation of their daily diet. The sharp increase in food prices has forced many families to reduce the number of meals they eat each day.
Earlier, Emergency Response Rooms and early warning agencies issued alerts about the likely failure of the current rain-fed agricultural season across the region. They attributed the crisis to prolonged interruptions in rainfall, which have dried out the soil and led to the failure of key crops, particularly sorghum and millet, to germinate.
