WFP director Cindy McCain on the humanitarian crisis, starvation in Sudan

John Yang:

The International Rescue Committee estimates that worldwide countries with about 11 percent of the world's population account for a staggering 82 percent of people needing humanitarian aid. William Brangham spoke with Cindy McCain, head of the UN's World Food Programme, about the world's largest and often overlooked humanitarian crisis.

William Brangham:

Cindy McCain, I just want to ask you a little bit about what is happening in Sudan, which, while many eyes are on Gaza, Sudan is perhaps an even greater circumstance there. We know that 14 million people and more have been displaced. It is one of the worst crises in the world today.

Can you tell us a little bit about what is going on there from your point of view?

Cindy McCain, Executive Director, World Food Programme:

Well, it is, as you just said, the largest humanitarian crisis on the planet. And you have people being pushed back and forth by various factions that are happening, combined with what we call the lean season, which brings huge amounts of rains which are also devastating. And you've got the rebels roaming around, making sure that people can't eat.

There is famine in Sudan, and quite frankly, the world isn't paying attention to it at all. The focus is on Gaza, and I wish people would pay closer attention also to Sudan and to South Sudan.

William Brangham:

Are you able to operate there in any capacity that you feel is sufficient?

Cindy McCain:

Well, we're operating, but not as what I feel is sufficient. We are operating. It is, as you know, is very challenging there, not just because of the political elements and all the elements that are causing so much of this, but also from a just an operational standpoint, trying to get trucks in and trying to get the commodities in that we need to do.

The Darfur region is devastated from all of this, and so it's imperative that we push for this. The funding cuts have really had a real damper on all this because we do need money to be able to operate there, and we don't have it the way we used to. But we cannot forget this region. We cannot forget these people either. And as I said, it's devastating there, what's happening and what could happen if we don't get more aid in.

William Brangham:

UNICEF recently said that after these 500 days of siege, that children in Al Fasher in particular are suffering mass displacement, deadly violence still going on. Are you able to operate in that region specifically?

Cindy McCain:

Yes, we're in. In several of the regions. More than several, actually. But I'll be honest with you, it depends on the day. It depends on, you know, what's happening from a security standpoint around there. We do the very best we can.

As I've said before, our people are extraordinarily good at what they do, and they're very experienced in these particular regions. So we can do the things, you know, we. We do get in. We don't get in enough, as I said, in some cases, we don't get in at all. It just depends on the region and depends on the day many times.

William Brangham:

I mean, apart from the violence coming to an end there, and I know that's something that you and few other even governments have any control over, what else do you need to have happen there in order to help all of these desperate people?

Cindy McCain:

Well, we need to be able to get food in at scale, as I mentioned, and not just in the Darfur Al Fashir region, but all around the country. People just don't have access. And because of the influence of climate change and all the other elements that I mentioned earlier, they don't have the ability to really be resilient and grow their own food in many cases.

So it's kind of a perfect storm of disaster in terms of the inability for these people to function in a normal way with regards to food and be able to move around in normal ways. We'd like everything we need to get in, make sure we can feed at scale and make sure that we can continue to feed at scale. It's devastating to watch. The children are the most vulnerable in all of this.

William Brangham:

All right, that is Cindy McCain, the head of the World Food Programme. Thank you so much for being here.

Cindy McCain:

Thank you. My pleasure.