Overview
- A joint statement from the United States, the European Commission and dozens of countries says 19.5 million people are experiencing high levels of acute food insecurity, including about 5 million in emergency conditions and a projected rise in child severe acute malnutrition above 825,000.
- The statement says conflict is the primary driver of the crisis and that El Niño drought and systematic obstruction of assistance have sharply reduced food production, disrupted markets and damaged health and supply systems.
- Signatories demand the parties to the conflict lift barriers to aid, authorize humanitarian operations through all crossline and cross-border routes, permit air access into Darfur and ensure the safety and mobility of aid workers.
- The statement calls on donors and development and financial institutions to urgently scale up and adapt funding and programs to reach the areas of greatest need and to support the winter cropping season and locally led responses.
- Humanitarian access and protection problems are compounded by long-running fighting that has displaced millions and by investigations and U.S. allegations of mass abuses, which aid groups say make it harder to reach hungry civilians and raise the risk of famine.