Last week, members of the Canadian Foodgrains Bank travelled to South Sudan to learn more about the world's worst humanitarian crisis unfolding in Sudan.
Canadian Foodgrains Bank Executive Director Andy Harrington and Winnipeg Senior Humanitarian Manager Stefan Epp-Koop saw firsthand the devastation of the results of war, famine and facility closures due to funding cutbacks.
The recent funding cuts at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and an extraordinary 90-day halt on its activities has put these people at even more risk, by taking away the security of life-saving food, water, medical care, and shelter during humanitarian crises.
Until 2011, Sudan and South Sudan were one country. However, following decades of civil war, the southern section seceded, becoming one of the world’s newest nations, South Sudan. The war in Sudan started two years ago, in April of 2023, "and it's been a vicious civil war that has had a tremendous impact on civilians across the country," shares Epp-Koop.
"We've been learning, for the past week, about the impacts of the Sudan crisis here in South Sudan," he explains. "There are 26 million people in Sudan right now who are experiencing hunger. There are 11 million people who have been displaced within Sudan. And there have been a million people who have come back or into South Sudan here."
"In talking with these people, the impacts of the war are horrific," he says.
"People are fleeing for their lives, fleeing so that their kids aren't forced to join the army, fleeing often on foot with almost nothing," says Epp-Koop. "They're leaving behind homes and communities where they had a good livelihood, they had a good life, and coming here to South Sudan to try and survive."
The situation in Sudan is ugly and the people who are paying for that conflict are civilians who can't find food, children who are malnourished and people forced to leave their homes, their livelihoods and their loved ones.
Epp-Koop says the USAID cuts that have taken place over the past few months have had a devastating effect on countries like Sudan and South Sudan. Health care facilities and nutrition treatment centres have been forced to shut down. Many of the services to help refugees have been scaled back. Tens of thousands of children aren't able to attend school due to lack of funding and school closures.
"And I think it's really important to note that while USAID played a really critical role here in South Sudan and in Sudan, it didn't really cost the American government very much money," shares Epp-Koop. "In the big picture, all of their international assistance amounted to less than 1% of their overall budget. So, essentially, we are looking at thousands, tens of thousands of lives being lost as a result of this decision for essentially a rounding error in the budget. This is a very small cost for what was being provided here," he adds.
Currently the CFB has multiple projects in Sudan to provide critical food assistance to people experiencing severe hunger, as well as a number of projects across South Sudan to help with food assistance, as well multi-year projects that help whole communities in food security. Last week Friday the CFB announced a $4 million investment by the Canadian Government towards the humanitarian needs of Sudan that will fund three projects in those areas of greatest need.
Please visit the CFB Website for more on that story.
"So, the Canadian Foodgrains Bank is providing both that immediate assistance, making sure that people have what they need today but also helping people imagine and achieve a better future so that they don't need food assistance in the future," adds Epp-Koop.
Related Article: Canadian Government's $4 Million contribution to Foodgrains Bank brings hope to Sudan
Please listen to more with Stefan Epp-Koop below.