Sudan's war is 'deepening and widening' a famine crisis, hunger monitoring report says

CAIRO (AP) — Famine is spreading in Sudan due to a war between the military and a notorious paramilitary group that has devastated the country and created the world’s largest displacement crisis, a global hunger monitoring group said Tuesday.

The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, or IPC, said it detected famine in five areas, including in Sudan’s largest displacement camp, Zamzam, in North Darfur province, where famine was found for the first time in August.

The report said the war has triggered unprecedented mass displacement and a collapsing economy. It said hostilities can result in farmers abandoning their crops, looting and stock destruction.

Along with the Zamzam camp, which has more than 400,000 people, famine was also detected in two other camps for displaced people, Abu Shouk and al-Salam in North Darfur, and the Western Nuba Mountains, the IPC report said.

Five other areas in North Darfur are projected “with reasonable evidence” to experience famine in the next six months, including el-Fasher, the provincial capital of North Darfur, it said. Seventeen areas in the Nuba Mountains and the northern and southern areas of Darfur are at risk of famine, it added.

The report also said some areas in the capital, Khartoum, and the east-central province of Gezira “may be experiencing” famine-like conditions. It said experts were unable to confirm whether famine threshold has been surpassed due to lack of data.

“It is not merely a lack of food but a profound breakdown of health, livelihoods and social structures, leaving entire communities in a state of desperation,” it said.

There is widespread hunger, with food in markets scarce and prices high. Aid groups say they struggle to reach the most vulnerable as warring parties limit access, especially in North Darfur province.

Ahead of the IPC's report, Sudan’s government said it had suspended its participation in the global monitoring system, according to a senior United Nations official with knowledge of the move.

In a letter dated Dec. 23, Agriculture Minister Abu Baker al-Beshri accused the IPC of “issuing unreliable reports that undermine Sudan’s sovereignty and dignity,” said the U.N. official, who spoke in condition of anonymity to discuss the letter.

Sudan's 20-month war has killed more than than 24,000 people and driven over 14 million people — about 30% of the population — from their homes, according to the United Nations. An estimated 3.2 million Sudanese have crossed into neighboring countries including Chad, Egypt and South Sudan.

The war began in April 2023 when tensions between its military and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces exploded into fighting in Khartoum before spreading to other areas. The conflict has been marked by atrocities including ethnically motivated killing and rape, according to the U.N. and rights groups. The International Criminal Court is investigating alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Dervla Cleary, a senior emergency and rehabilitation officer at the U.N.’s Food and Agriculture Organization, said 638,000 people are experiencing famine.

“The situation in Sudan is just awful. It is unacceptable in a world like today,” she said.

The IPC report called for a ceasefire, calling it the only way to reduce the risk of famine spreading further."

Sudan is the third country where famine was declared in the past 15 years, along with South Sudan and Somalia.

The IPC comprises more than a dozen U.N. agencies, aid groups and governments that use its monitoring as a global reference for analysis of food and nutrition crises. The organization has also warned that large parts of Gaza’s Palestinian population face the threat of famine.

FILE - People gather to collect water in Khartoum, Sudan, May 28, 2023. (AP Photo/Marwan Ali, File)

File - A man walks by a house hit in recent fighting in Khartoum, Sudan, an area torn by fighting between the military and the notorious paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, April 25, 2023. (AP Photo/Marwan Ali, File)

FILE - Sudanese Khadiga Omer adam sits by her sick child in an MSF-run clinic in the Aboutengue displacement site near Acre, Chad, Friday, Oct 4. 2024. (AP Photo/Sam Mednick, File)

FILE - Sudanese refugees arrive in Acre, Chad, Sunday, Oct 6. 2024. (AP Photo/Sam Mednick, File)

FILE - A doctor treats a Sudanese child suffering from malnutrition are treated at an MSF clinic in Metche Camp, Chad, near the Sudanese border, on April 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Patricia Simon, File)

Tech companies led a broad rally for U.S. stocks Tuesday, a boost for the market in a holiday-shortened trading session.

The S&P 500 rose 0.8% in midday trading. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 273 points, or 0.6%, as of 12:18 p.m. Eastern time. The tech-heavy Nasdaq composite was up 1%.

Chip company Broadcom rose 2.9%, while semiconductor giant Nvidia, whose enormous valuation gives it an outsize influence on indexes, rose 0.8%. Super Micro Computer jumped 5.8%.

Tesla climbed 5.1%, one of the biggest gains among S&P 500 stocks. Amazon.com rose 1.6%

American Airlines slipped 0.1% after the airline briefly grounded flights nationwide due to a technical issue.

U.S. Steel rose 1.1% a day after an influential government panel failed to reach consensus on the possible national security risks of the nearly $15 billion proposed sale to Nippon Steel of Japan.

NeueHealth surged 68.9% after the health care company agreed to be taken private in a deal valued at roughly $1.3 billion.

Treasury yields rose in the bond market. The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 4.61% from 4.59% late Monday.

European markets were mostly higher. Markets in Asia mostly gained ground.

U.S. markets will close at 1 p.m. Eastern and stay closed Wednesday for Christmas.

Wall Street has several economic reports to look forward to this week, including a weekly update on unemployment benefits on Thursday.

Tuesday’s rally comes as the stock market enters what’s historically been a very cheerful season. The last five trading days of each year, plus the first two in the new year, have brought an average gain of 1.3% since 1950. The so-called “Santa rally” also correlates closely with positive returns in January and the upcoming year.

So far this month, the U.S. stock market has lost some of its gains since President-elect Donald Trump’s win on Election Day, which raised hopes for faster economic growth and more lax regulations that would boost corporate profits. Worries have risen that Trump’s preference for tariffs and other policies could lead to higher inflation, a bigger U.S. government debt and difficulties for global trade.

Even so, the stock market remains on pace to deliver strong returns for 2024. The benchmark S&P 500 is up about 26% so far this year and remains within roughly 1.3% of the all-time high it set earlier this month — its latest of 57 record highs this year.

Lights marking the entrance to a subway station frame the New York Stock Exchange in New York's Financial District on Monday, Dec. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Peter Morgan)

A currency trader reads documents at the foreign exchange dealing room of the KEB Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, Dec. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

Currency traders watch monitors near a screen showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI), top left, and the foreign exchange rate between U.S. dollar and South Korean won, top center, at the foreign exchange dealing room of the KEB Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, Dec. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

Currency traders watch monitors near a screen showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) at the foreign exchange dealing room of the KEB Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, Dec. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

FILE - Signs mark the intersection of Wall and South Streets in New York's Financial District on Nov. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Peter Morgan, File)