“Over the past six months, WFP scaled up assistance and we are now reaching nearly one million Sudanese in Khartoum with food and nutrition support,” said Laurent Bukera, WFP Country Director in Sudan. “This momentum must continue; several areas in the south are at risk of famine.”

In an update from Port Sudan, Mr. Bukera reported that a mission to Khartoum had found many neighbourhoods abandoned, heavily damaged and akin to a “ghost city”.

Pressure on overstretched resources will only intensify, he insisted.

Fragile frontline communities

And as conflict still rages between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, sparked by a breakdown in transition to civilian rule in 2023, the veteran aid worker also explained that communities on the frontlines were at “breaking point” and unable to support displaced families any longer.

Despite many generous contributions to the UN agency’s work in Sudan, it faces a $500 million shortfall to support emergency food and cash assistance for the coming six months.

“The international community must act now by stepping up funding to stop famine in the hardest hit area, and to invest in Sudan’s recovery,” Mr. Bukera insisted.” We must also demand respect for the safety and the protection of the Sudanese people and aid workers.”

No food, water

More than two years of fighting have smashed infrastructure and left communities without basic services, such as clean water.

This – and weeks of heavy rains – have contributed to a deadly cholera outbreak and reports of corpses rotting in the Nile in Omdurman, one of the capital’s three cities.

In an update last week, the UN aid coordination office, OCHA, said that war-related displacement and the spread of cholera have continued to add to needs across Sudan.

“We are deeply concerned and meeting the basic needs, especially food, will be critical and is urgent,” said WFP’s Mr. Bukera. “Urgent action is needed to restore basic services and accelerate recovery through coordinated efforts with local authorities, national NGOs, UN agencies and humanitarian partners.”

This vital work has been prevented by a lack of international support, forcing WFP to reduce the amount and range of relief it can distribute.

“Funding shortfalls are already disrupting some of the assistance we are providing in Khartoum, Blue Nile, Al Jazeera and Sennar states,” the WFP senior official continued. “Our rations and the oil and the pulses in the food basket had to be removed due to lack of resources.”

Rations cuts

In Khartoum, lifesaving nutritional supplements for young children and pregnant and nursing mothers are already “out of reach” because of a lack of resources, he said.

Despite the many challenges, the UN agency now reaches four million people a month across Sudan. This is nearly four times more than at the start of 2024 as access has expanded, including in previously unreachable areas like Khartoum.

Communities are also supported in the longer-term via cash assistance to support local markets and support for bakeries and small businesses planning to reopen.

“We have rapidly scaled up our operation to meet increasing needs,” Mr. Bukera said. “We are aiming to reach seven people on a monthly basis, prioritizing those facing famine or other areas at extreme risk”, such as Darfur, Kordofan and Al Jazeera.

With violence worsening in both the Lake Chad Basin and the Great Lakes, the Security Council met on Monday to examine the threats confronting the wider region.

“Central Africa remains rich in potential, but the challenges are still significant,” said Abdou Abarry, Head of the UN Regional Office for Central Africa (UNOCA).

Some progress

While countries such as Chad and Gabon have made progress in terms of political development, newly elected authorities must capitalise on this momentum to implement key democratic reforms, said Mr Abarry.

In Chad and Gabon, recent elections and reforms have promoted greater participation of women in the democratic process.

Today, women represent 34 per cent of Chad’s National Assembly, while Gabon’s new electoral code mandates that women must account for at least 30 per cent of electoral lists provided to voters.

Political challenges

In recent months, online disinformation and hate speech have been on the rise in Cameroon, said Mr Abarry. UNOCA reported that 65 per cent of political content shared on social media between January and April this year was either false or previously manipulated.

At the same time, Cameroon has seen a surge in intercommunal violence in the southern and central regions of the country. This trend underscores the importance of UNOCA’s work in supporting development strategies aimed at preventing conflict related to electoral processes.

Insecurity hotbeds

Two major centres of insecurity persist, with violence escalating in both the Lake Chad Basin and the Great Lakes region.

Around Lake Chad, groups affiliated with Boko Haram extremists and other armed insurgencies have demonstrated “their resilience and their ability to adapt and respond to the coordinated operations of the defence and security forces” of the region, said Mr Abarry.

Notably, on the night of 24 March, drones carrying explosives killed at least 19 Cameroonian soldiers in southern Nigeria.

Meanwhile, growing tensions between the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Rwanda have led to large-scale displacement in eastern DRC, where the humanitarian crisis is further compounded by conflict in neighbouring Sudan.

As budget cuts exacerbate ongoing humanitarian crises in the region, there is growing concern that “the inaction of the international community could lead to a worsening of the humanitarian situation,” the head of UNOCA told ambassadors. 

Since the end of May, aid distribution in Gaza has been carried out by a mechanism backed by Israel and the United States bypassing UN agencies and their established partners, which has been plagued by deadly incidents and chaos.

On Monday, UN partner the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) reported that 29 casualties arrived at its field hospital in west Rafah that morning, eight of whom had died. 

Almost all had explosive trauma wounds, with two others suffering gunshot wounds. 

Forced to choose

“The UN reiterates that civilians must always be protected,” said Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq, speaking from Headquarters in New York.

“No person, anywhere, should be forced to choose between risking one’s life and feeding one’s family.”  

Fuelling aid efforts

Meanwhile, fuel stocks in Gaza are dangerously low, putting further strain on critical services and humanitarian operations. 

Mr. Haq said that some 260,000 litres of fuel were looted in northern Gaza over the weekend.

Prior to this, the UN had repeatedly tried to reach these stocks to retrieve them, but the Israeli authorities denied these attempts – with 14 denials since 15 May. 

“Our attempts to reach fuel supplies in Rafah, in the south of Gaza, also continue to be denied,” he added.

“The UN warns that unless a solution is found in the coming days, the entire aid operation could come to a standstill.”

‘Desperate, starving people’

Mr. Haq also updated on efforts to bring desperately needed humanitarian assistance into the Gaza Strip, where the entire population, more than two million people, faces famine conditions.

On Monday, the UN led a mission to deliver supplies that entered the enclave via the Kerem Shalom border crossing to Gaza City, which was still ongoing. 

Since Israel allowed limited amounts of aid to enter on 19 May, the UN and partners have only been able to collect about 4,600 metric tonnes of wheat flour from Kerem Shalom.

“Most of it was taken by desperate, starving people before the supplies reached their destinations. In some cases, the supplies were looted by armed gangs,” he said.

Resume aid flow now

Mr. Haq emphasized that as the occupying power, Israel bears responsibility when it comes to public order and safety in Gaza. 

“That should include letting in far more essential supplies, through multiple crossings and routes, to meet humanitarian needs and help reduce looting,” he said.

UN partners working on food security estimate that between 8,000 and 10,000 metric tonnes of wheat flour is required to reach all families across Gaza with at least a single bag.

He stressed that “the sustained and unrestricted flow of aid into Gaza must resume as soon as possible.” 

Dangerous routes, driver shortages and delays

He said no missions to collect supplies from Kerem Shalom took place at the weekend as Israel informed that the crossing would remain closed on Friday and Saturday.

Humanitarians also continue to face major impediments that affect their ability to conduct these operations, including unacceptably dangerous routes, a severe shortage of vetted drivers, and delays.

West Bank update

Mr. Haq also touched on the situation in the occupied West Bank.

He said operations by the Israeli forces in the north have continued over the past week, destroying roads and disrupting Palestinians’ access to essential services. 

The UN and partners continue to respond, including by providing water, sanitation and hygiene assistance to tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians.