US to send more food aid to Sudan, warning of a risk of historic famine

NEWS WIRES

15 June 2024 at 2:06 am·1-min read

The United States on Friday announced another $315 million for hungry Sudanese as it pressed the warring sides to end obstruction of aid, warning that a famine of historic proportions could unfold without urgent action.

The assistance will include food and drinking water, as well as malnutrition emergency screening and treatment for children.

It comes as estimates say that five million people inside Sudan suffer extreme hunger, with food lacking also in neighboring countries where two million Sudanese have fled.

“We need the world to wake up to the catastrophe happening before our very eyes,” Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the US ambassador to the United Nations, told reporters.

“We’ve seen mortality projections estimating that in excess of 2.5 million people – about 15 percent of the population – in Darfur and Kordofan, the hardest-hit regions, could die by the end of September,” she said.

“This is the largest humanitarian crisis on the face of the planet, and yet somehow it threatens to get worse,” she said, pointing to expectations that the key border crossing will become unpassable with the rainy season.

“That has to change immediately.”

Diplomacy struggles

Associated Press
Experts say Gaza is at 'high risk' of famine despite increased aid to the north
An influx of aid appears to have eased a hunger crisis in northern Gaza for now, but the entire territory remains at “high risk” of famine after Israel's offensive in Rafah caused displacement and the disruption of aid operations in the south, a draft report said Monday. The report by the leading international authority on the severity of hunger crises said nearly everyone in Gaza is struggling to get enough food and that more than 495,000 people, or greater than a fifth of the population of 2.3 million, are expected to experience the highest level of starvation in the coming months.
The Telegraph
These sinister ‘pro-Palestinian’ protests are a warning to us all
It is now over two weeks since the terrorists of Hamas were offered a ceasefire which would end the war in Gaza.
AFP
Picture of Gaza war protest misrepresented as fatalities in hajj pilgrimage
As the death toll from this year's hajj topped 1,300 amid extreme heat in Saudi Arabia, multiple social media posts misrepresented a photo of an Iranian protest in support of Gaza war victims falsely claiming it shows children killed during the pilgrimage. The image has circulated in media reports since November 2023, months before the annual pilgrimage to the Islamic holy city of Mecca.
AFP
Ex-spy handler of Hamas co-founder's son says PM 'destroying' Israel
On a Tel Aviv overpass, former spy Gonen Ben Itzhak addresses a small gathering of flag-waving protesters worried about the future of Israel under longest-serving premier Benjamin Netanyahu.- 'The Green Prince' - Ben Itzhak -- who joined the security services in the 1990s after premier Yitzhak Rabin's assassination -- has become a leading figure in protests against Netanyahu.
The Independent
Ukraine-Russia war latest: International court issues arrest warrants for Russian military officials
The Hague-based International Criminal Court (ICC) says Sergei Shoigu and General Valery Gerasimov are suspected of directing attacks against civilians in Ukraine
CNN
Gunmen kill police, priest and civilians in attacks on places of worship in Russia’s Dagestan
Gunmen opened fire on places of worship in two cities of Russia’s southernmost Dagestan province on Sunday, killing at least 15 police officers and four civilians, including an Orthodox priest, in what appeared to be a coordinated attack.
The Independent
India may be supplying Israel weapons to ‘return a favour’, claims former ambassador
Delhi has neither confirmed nor denied whether it is supplying weapons to Israel amid its war in Gaza
AFP
Hamas says Israeli strike kills 10 relatives of group's chief
Palestinian militant group Hamas said an Israeli air strike early Tuesday killed 10 family members of its Qatar-based chief Ismail Haniyeh, who vowed to continue the "resistance" movement against Israel."There are 10 martyrs... as a result of the strike, including Zahr Haniyeh, sister of Hamas political bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh," Mahmud Basal, spokesman for the civil defence, told AFP. He said a number of bodies were likely to be still under the rubble but "we do not have the necessary equipm
CNN
‘Intense phase of war with Hamas about to end,’ focus to shift to Lebanon border, Netanyahu says
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that the “intense phase of the war with Hamas (in Gaza) is about to end,” and that the military’s focus could then shift to Israel’s northern border with Lebanon.
CNN
Putin pledged decades ago to conquer the horrors of Islamic extremism. Deadly Dagestan attack again proves he failed
Only a fraction of the violence that raged across Dagestan on Sunday is visible at the moment, and it is already horrific. Co-ordinated attacks in Dagestan’s two main cities, hitting synagogues and churches. Reports a priest had his throat slit, hostages taken, and the sons of a local official and an MMA fighter among the five attackers.
CNN
Pro-Palestinian protest outside LA synagogue criticized as ‘antisemitic’ after street fights with pro-Israel protesters
A pro-Palestinian protest held outside a Los Angeles synagogue devolved into chaotic street violence with pro-Israel counter-protesters on Sunday in an incident that several officials, including President Joe Biden, criticized as antisemitic.
AFP
Gaza officials say Israeli strike killed 10 relatives of Hamas chief
Israeli forces on Tuesday bombarded besieged Gaza where Palestinian officials said one strike killed 10 family members of Hamas' Qatar-based political chief Ismail Haniyeh, including his sister.Civil defence agency spokesman Mahmud Basal told AFP: "There are 10 martyrs and several wounded as a result of the strike, including Zahr Haniyeh, sister of Hamas political bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh."
CNN
Japanese hotel accused of canceling Israeli guest’s reservation because of ‘war crimes’
A hotel in the Japanese city of Kyoto allegedly canceled an Israeli tourist’s reservation because of “war crimes,” drawing criticism from local officials who said it violated regulations.
CNN
US hopes Israeli defense minister can give clarity on Gaza war plans as rift with Netanyahu widens
American officials are hoping to gain a better understanding of Israel’s war plans in meetings this week with the country’s defense minister, who arrived in Washington as the rift widened between the Biden administration and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Associated Press Finance
Anti-tax protesters storm Kenya's parliament, drawing police fire as president vows to quash unrest
Thousands of protesters stormed Kenya’s parliament Tuesday to protest tax proposals, burning part of the building, sending lawmakers fleeing and drawing fire from police in unrest that the president vowed to quash. It was the most direct assault on the government in decades. “Today’s events mark a critical turning point on how we respond to threats to our national security,” President William Ruto said, calling the events “treasonous" and vowing to quash the unrest “at whatever cost.”
CNN
Russia has seen two major terror attacks in just three months. Here’s what we know
Russia is reeling from another major terror attack, with at least 19 people killed and 25 injured in what appeared to be coordinated shootings at various places of worship in Russia’s southernmost Dagestan republic.
The Guardian
‘An incredible loss for Palestine’: Israeli offensive takes deadly toll on journalists
The flak jackets handed to Palestinian media workers by the non-profit Press House quickly became a symbol of the dangers they face
France 24
'Much-needed relief': Kenyan police force arrives in Haiti for UN-backed security mission
The first wave of Kenyan police disembarked a plane at the Port-au-Prince airport in Haiti on Tuesday as part of a security mission backed – but not managed – by the UN to help restore order to the violence-wracked nation. Kenyan police arrived in violence-ravaged Haiti on Tuesday on a long-awaited mission to help wrest the Caribbean nation from powerful gangs, just as deadly turmoil gripped Nairobi during mass protests.Wearing camouflage uniforms, helmets and rifles, about 200 officers descende
CNN
Netanyahu scrambles to contain backlash to comments on ceasefire deal as hostage families release new video
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday said he was still “committed” to an Israeli ceasefire and hostage release proposal backed by the United States as he faced blowback from families of Israeli hostages for appearing to walk back his support of the proposal the day before.
Associated Press
UN tells Israel it will suspend aid operations across Gaza without improved safety
Senior U.N. officials have warned Israel that they will suspend the world body's aid operations across Gaza unless Israel acts urgently to better protect humanitarian workers, two U.N. officials said Tuesday. The ultimatum is the latest in a series of U.N. steps demanding Israel do more to safeguard aid operations from strikes by its forces and to curb growing lawlessness hindering humanitarian workers.

Diplomacy struggles

Latest stories