Conflict and Hunger in Sudan
Hearing Notice
Please join the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission for a hearing on conflict-induced hunger in Sudan.
Over the past year Sudan has been devastated by the armed conflict that broke out in April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), interrupting the country’s political transition. The ongoing violence has caused “a crisis of epic proportions,” with tens of thousands killed, over a million people newly displaced between November 2023 and March 2024, and 18 million facing acute hunger and warnings of looming famine. According to the most recent IPC Alert, a staggering 4.6 million people are estimated to be acutely malnourished, of whom 3.66 million are children under five, and 1.2 million are pregnant and lactating women. On April 15, 26 humanitarian aid organizations working in Sudan called on all parties to the conflict to take measures to prevent the escalation of the hunger crisis, including by not attacking food systems infrastructure and by ensuring unfettered access to people in need of humanitarian assistance.
Witnesses will discuss the indicators and drivers of the hunger crisis in Sudan, review the prohibition on the use of starvation as a weapon of war in international humanitarian law, and offer recommendations to prevent widespread famine.
The hearing will be hybrid. Members of Congress will participate in person. Witnesses may participate in person or remotely via Cisco WebEx. The public and the media may attend in person or view the hearing by live webcast on the Commission website. The hearing will also be available for viewing on Channel 55 of the House Digital Channel service. For any questions, please contact Kimberly Stanton (for Co-Chair McGovern) or Mark Milosch (for Co-Chair Smith).
Hosted by:
| James P. McGovern Member of Congress Co-Chair, TLHRC |
Chris Smith Member of Congress Co-Chair, TLHRC |
Opening Remarks
- Rep. James P. McGovern, Co-Chair, TLHRC
Written remarks - Rep. Gus Bilirakis, Member, TLHRC
Written remarks
Witnesses
Panel I
- Michael Dunford, East Africa Regional Director, UN World Food Programme
Panel II
- Avril Benoît, Executive Director, Doctors Without Borders USA
Witness testimony - Hanin Ahmed, Founder, Old Omdurman Emergency Response Room
Witness testimony - Ashraf Affan, Founder and Honorary Chairman, Angel Kids Foundation
- Tom Dannenbaum, Assistant Professor of International Law, The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University
Witness testimony
Submitted for the Record
- Entisar Abdelsadig, Senior Advisor for Sudan, Search for Common Ground, Statement Submitted for the Record
- Committee to Protect Journalists, Statement Submitted for the Record
- iACT, Statement Submitted for the Record
- Margaret Besheer, Voice of America, "UN official: 'Real and growing' risk of genocide in Sudan," May 21, 2024.