STORY: Sudan voices rejection to report on famine
SHOOTING TIME: Dec. 29, 2024
DATELINE: Dec. 30, 2024
LENGTH: 00:01:42
LOCATION: PORT SUDAN, Sudan
CATEGORY: POLITICS

SHOTLIST:
1. various of a joint press conference for the Sudanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Port Sudan city
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (Arabic): ABU BAKR AL-BUSHRA, Sudanese agriculture minister
3. SOUNDBITE 2 (Arabic): SALWA ADAM BENYA, Sudan's humanitarian aid commissioner

STORYLINE:

Sudan on Sunday rejected a report by an international organization indicating the spread of famine in the country.

The Sudanese government described the report, recently issued by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), a global hunger monitor, as based on inaccurate standards and speculative results.

SOUNDBITE 1 (Arabic): ABU BAKR AL-BUSHRA, Sudanese agriculture minister
"We believe that the situation in Sudan is different under this war, and therefore we cannot rely on the findings of the report and its unrealistic figures, because they are not taken from the ground, whereas, according to the followed methodology, data must be taken from the ground."

"The report depended on outdated information, distant communications, and secondary sources, thereby raising concerns about its reliability," said a statement released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

"The Sudanese government reiterates its unwavering commitment and keenness to alleviate the suffering of its people, enhance food security, and address the root causes of the humanitarian crisis," the statement added.

In the report released earlier this week, the IPC said that famine is present in at least five areas of Sudan, including the Zamzam displacement camp in North Darfur and parts of the Western Nuba Mountains. The report also noted that 17 other areas in Sudan are at risk of famine.

SOUNDBITE 2 (Arabic): SALWA ADAM BENYA, Sudan's humanitarian aid commissioner
"There is no person who is hungry, but these organizations have agendas and ambitions in Sudan, and therefore they seek to utilize food as a means to intervene in the country's affairs. All elements determining famine do not exist in Sudan."

Sudan has been gripped by a devastating conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces since mid-April 2023, which claimed more than 29,680 lives and displaced over 14 million people, either inside or outside Sudan, according to the latest estimates by international organizations.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Port Sudan, Sudan.
(XHTV)