UN warns 5M Sudanese are at risk of catastrophic hunger as war grinds on

Nearly five million people in Sudan could suffer catastrophic hunger in parts of the war-torn country, United Nations aid chief Martin Griffiths has warned the Security Council.

"Without urgent humanitarian assistance and access to basic commodities ... almost 5 million people could slip into catastrophic food insecurity in some parts of the country in the coming months," Griffiths wrote in a note seen by Reuters news agency.

He said it was likely that some people in West and Central Darfur would move into famine conditions as security worsens and the lean season starts. Cross-border aid delivery from Chad to Darfur is a "critical lifeline," Griffiths said.

Nearly 730,000 children throughout Sudan are projected to suffer severe acute malnutrition, including over 240,000 children in Darfur, Griffiths wrote.

"An unprecedented surge in the treatment of severe wasting, the most lethal manifestation of malnutrition, is already being observed in accessible areas," Griffiths noted.

Griffiths added that acute levels of hunger were being driven by the severe impact of the conflict on agricultural production, damage to major infrastructure and livelihoods, disruptions to trade flows, severe price increases, impediments to humanitarian access and large-scale displacement.