Head of humanitarian group urges nations to step up Sudan aid to prevent 'biblical' famine

Jan Egeland, Secretary-General, Norwegian Refugee Council:

What I saw confirmed the following.

In South Kordofan, we have the worst war and the worst hunger catastrophe within Sudan, which is in turn the largest humanitarian crisis on Earth today. I met with countless women, children, because it's really women and children, fleeing from besieged cities, including Kadugli, the biggest city.

And they're fleeing from horrific violence, but also from a famine declared inside there because we cannot get into this besieged city without food.

Nick Schifrin:

And what are some of the stories that they shared with you?

Jan Egeland:

Well, I met with several of these who are young single mothers now, because the story was that, in the morning, our husbands went to search for food. Then a drone came and bombed and torched our home. So we fled, one with a nursing baby on her arm and four other kids below the age of 9.

They walked for two, three days to the camp, where we in the Norwegian Refugee Council give them food and emergency aid. And they haven't heard from their husbands and fathers. And now we have the biggest gap anywhere in the world between urgent needs and available aid, where too few organizations on the ground, and we're overstretched and underfunded.

Nick Schifrin:

As we saw in the story that preceded our conversation, General Burhan, the head of the Sudanese Armed Forces, described where you just went as liberated. Is that how the people who you spoke to see it?

Jan Egeland:

It was, I mean, the day after I left, we heard that there had been a breakthrough of a military column into Kadugli, the biggest town that has been besieged by the armed actors, but it hasn't meant a lot of aid at all.

The hunger catastrophe continues. We have three more months to avoid an epic biblical famine before the rainy season comes and the roads will be impossible in this part of Sudan. So we have to surge aid. And that's my message to the donor nations, including the United States. Come to the relief of these mothers and children.

They are hundreds of thousands. They're starving and they're victims of a cruel conflict. We can help them, but we have little time.

Nick Schifrin:

You have criticized donor nations, including the United States, of neglecting Sudan.

Just this week, the U.S. held an event here in Washington that raised what the U.S. State Department said was $1.5 billion in new pledges. And in a statement, the State Department said this: "While we remain proud of America's unmatched generosity, President Trump has made it clear that other nations must also shoulder a greater share of the burden for this lifesaving work."

Do you see that happening?

Jan Egeland:

I heard that some of the Gulf countries are pledging, in addition to the United States, $200 million, $500 million from United Arab Emirates. Several European countries have pledged. We haven't seen much of that on the ground yet, by the way, not so.

We're still underfunded, so the money needs to come now, so we can purchase, we can get, procure all of the food, we can start the logistic chains. These are remote areas in a horrific war. So I hope for the generosity of North America, of Europe and the Gulf countries in particular. It must happen soon.

Nick Schifrin:

And bringing us back to where we started, the umbrella organization that declares famine releasing their report, saying that famine is spreading in parts of Sudan.

Bottom line, what can be done in order to save more people's lives?

Jan Egeland:

Two things, put pressure on the armed actors so that they stop this senseless conflict, we have a cease-fire and we have humanitarian access to all that are in need.

Secondly, surge the aid, really. I mean, in South Kordofan, it's the southern part of Sudan. U.S. organizations have been there for a generation. The U.S. has been an aid giver for a generation there. There are five international nongovernmental organizations. That's it from the international community.

It's really the Sudanese frontline volunteers that are keeping people alive, pretty much alone. We need to surge much more aid fast, before we see this relentless countdown to famine result in a famine. It's not too late.

Nick Schifrin:

Jan Egeland, secretary-general of the Norwegian Refugee Council, thank you very much.

Jan Egeland:

Thank you.