Conflict, drought increasing risk of famine in Sudan: UN

Risk of famine is rising across regions of Sudan, driven by conflict, El Nino-induced drought and lack of humanitarian resources, a group of UN experts said on Monday. "An El Nino-induced drought, affecting roughly half of the country, is compounding the impacts of conflict and displacement, reducing food availability, driving up prices and affecting livelihoods," the group, called Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), said in a statement. "Healthcare is extremely limited, often entirely inaccessible, while clean water is becoming increasingly scarce, leaving a poorly nourished population highly vulnerable to disease and death," it said. The Sudan war, now in its fourth year, has killed tens of thousands and displaced millions. The army holds sway in Sudan's central and eastern regions, while the Darfur region in the west and parts of the south are under control of the rival Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The arid Darfur region, which alone is about the size of Spain, has faced some of the worst violence, with displacement camps invaded and repeated ethnic massacres killing thousands at a time.