As armed conflict rages on, Sudan’s devastating humanitarian crisis continues to worsen. More than three million people have been displaced, threatening national and regional upheaval.

Sudan has reached the brink of civil war after fighting erupted on April 15 between the nation’s military, the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), and a paramilitary group known as the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The violence has worsened an already precarious humanitarian situation, and while neighboring countries have taken in hundreds of thousands of refugees, experts say prolonged conflict could engulf the country in civil war and destabilize the region.

The two warring parties were previously allies, having joined forces in 2019 to overthrow dictator Omar al-Bashir, who ruled for three decades before his ouster. The SAF’s leader, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, replaced him as de facto head of state. Burhan was backed by RSF General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, also known as Hemedti, in orchestrating a second coup in 2021 that toppled Sudan’s interim government. But amid international pressure to transition to a civilian government, a push to integrate the RSF into the national army triggered a violent revolt from Hemedti in mid-April 2023. The RSF has a sizable presence in Darfur and has seized towns across the country while fighting continues for control of the capital, Khartoum. 

International efforts to broker peace talks have so far been unsuccessful. These have included negotiations sponsored by the United States and Saudi Arabia, which resulted in several temporary cease-fires, as well as an East African–led peace proposal in July. Still, a long-term resolution remains elusive, and some experts say neither side has much incentive to compromise.

Sudan was already experiencing a humanitarian crisis before the conflict broke out, with more than 15 million people facing severe food insecurity and more than 3.7 million internally displaced persons. The country was also hosting some 1.3 million refugees, the majority from South Sudan.

The renewed violence has created a “catastrophic” situation, says UN Secretary-General António Guterres. According to the UN refugee agency, more than three million people have been newly displaced since April. Of that, more than two million are internally displaced, while over 650,000 are refugees who have fled to neighboring countries. As of June 3, at least 780 people have been killed and about 5,800 have been injured, though the actual figures are likely to be considerably higher.

Dana Camp Smith, Senior Director of Global Nutrition for iDE, oversees several of iDE’s country portfolios for both business development and operations, bringing more than twelve years of experience and knowledge in programmatic and operational compliance; donor engagement; and technical support on gender, nutrition, and food security integration into programming. Dana’s passion for this work comes from an early age of exposure to intense income inequality and small-scale agricultural production while living in Central America in a military family. Later, she discovered her own joy found in producing food and “getting her hands in the dirt.” These two things led to both academic and career choices as she studied ecology and anthropology at the University of Georgia to understand the dynamic intersection between communities and the food they grow.

After several years of farming in her early career, Dana went on to earn her MA in International Development at the University of Denver with a focus on food systems and gender. She has managed agricultural and food security programs in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, Nepal, Honduras, and Nicaragua. In addition to her work with iDE, Dana serves as the President of the Board for Artisan’s Thrive, a social enterprise she co-founded that works to empower women with skills and knowledge and access to higher value markets. When she is not at work, Dana is at home with her growing family and playing in her garden or practicing her banjo skills. Dana talked to Capital’s Groum Abate about iDE’s engagement in Sudan’s worsening humanitarian crisis. Excerpts; 

Capital: What is your reaction to the recent report from the WFP on the projected increase in hunger in Sudan due to ongoing conflict?

Dana Camp Smith: In Sudan, malnutrition rates were already high, with 38.2% of the population impacted by stunning, or low height for age, a key metric in tracking malnutrition rates. Sudan was on track to make further improvements in this metric, often a key indicator in more chronic instances of malnutrition, in advance of the conflict. In communities that were already resource-poor, the addition of open conflict can be devastating. These communities can be cut off from staple goods, increasing the incidence of food insecurity, and opportunity to engage in agriculture at critical times for planting- reducing the communities ability to meet their own resource needs. Often it is women and children that are hit hardest in these times of crisis.

While we do not work in Sudan, a key feature of iDE programming is to understand a communities’ ability to respond and withstand shocks, such as we see in Sudan and target key points of engagement to support resilience building.

Capital: Can you describe the current state of food security in Sudan, and how has it been affected by the conflict?

Dana: Sudan was already impacted by high rates of food insecurity in advance of the conflict. According to the latest Global Nutrition Report, 38.2% of children under 5 show evidence of chronic malnutrition with stunting, which is low height for age, and 16.3% of children under 5 being wasted or low weight for age.  Communities were already not able to meet their production needs, a situation exacerbated by impacts from climate change, and weak market systems inhibit access and availability of nutritious foods. Internal conflict further disrupts these systems cutting off supply of both inputs for production and outputs for aggregation and sales within markets.

Capital: The WFP report highlights the need for humanitarian assistance in Sudan. What can organizations like iDE do to help address this crisis? 

Dana: iDE takes a long-term approach to our work, with a focus on not only tackling the immediate food security needs but also the resilience of the communities themselves – which is their ability to withstand these shocks and bounce back. This entails supporting healthy market channels that foster multiple points of engagement and opportunity so that if one vendor or supplier is interrupted there are other resources. This also means empowering all members of the community, so that even the most vulnerable have a voice within system dynamics. Our work to support climate adaptation within agricultural practices and support improved access to innovative technologies further supports farmers ability adapt and withstand shock.

Capital: The WFP report notes that conflict is not the only factor contributing to hunger in Sudan. What other challenges must be addressed in order to improve food security in the country? 

Dana: Sudan has been severely impacted by climate change with increasing and exacerbated instances of both prolonged drought and flooding. Supporting communities to adopt regenerative agricultural practices that improve soil health, retain water, and promote drought tolerant and native plant use can enhance adaptive capacity to withstand these increased shocks. Another key area to be addressed is for water resource management practices to support with prolonged water during times of drought.

Capital: Looking forward, what steps can be taken to prevent hunger from becoming a chronic issue in Sudan?

Dana: Supporting agricultural production within rural communities so that there is self-sufficiency. In addition, work that iDE does around identifying income generating opportunities and empowering women entrepreneurs. We know that when women have increased access to income, household resources are more likely channeled into supporting families needs including education and nutrition.

Capital: What role does innovation play in addressing hunger and food insecurity in crisis situations like the one in Sudan?

Dana: When farmers are constantly adapting to emerging situations, innovative technologies can improve the likelihood of success of the crop production. At iDE globally, this ranges from Integrated Pest Management practices, to water harvesting and storage, crop calendars, weather information, and irrigation practices. With the rapid expansion of access to smartphones, there are also new tools emerging constantly to support farmers with ready access to agronomic information as well as price indexes to ensure that they are able to fetch the best process on the market when growing for commercial production.

Capital: How can the crisis in Sudan affect other crisis-prone countries such as Ethiopia?

Dana: The crisis in Sudan has driven refugees into neighboring Amhara region of Ethiopia, mostly women and children. Ethiopia has been subject to its own civil conflict over the past few years and communities that were already resource poor, are even further challenged and less able to absorb the influx of refugees and meet the housing and food needs that accompany.

Capital: What message would you like to send to the people of Sudan who are currently facing food insecurity and other challenges due to the conflict?

Dana: The international community sees you and is here in support of you.