Water and food intervention "critical"

Severe drought across many parts of Sudan is affecting several million people, many of whom are at acute risk of severe food insecurity over the coming months, the International Federation of the Red Cross/Red Crescent said in an appeal released on 2 March. It called for Swiss Francs 2,582,404 (US $1.6 million equivalent) in "cash, kind and services" to meet the needs of 289,000 beneficiaries for six months, concentrating on relief activities in North and South Darfur, and the Red Sea States.

According to the Federation, access to safe water as well as emergency food is a critical intervention. Stagnation in the livestock trade has reduced a traditional source of extra income, and many of the poorer families have already lost or traded all their animals. "The most vulnerable people are either subsistence farmers or small scale pastoralists whose means of livelihood is now threatened by the drought," the appeal said. "The price of food staples in the markets has increased dramatically over recent weeks." Agricultural labouring opportunities are also becoming scarce, causing migration. "The nutritional status of the population is expected to deteriorate rapidly unless an additional provision of food can be assured until the next harvest," the Federation warned.