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Driven to starvation, Sudanese people eat weeds and plants to survive as war rages

Driven to starvation, Sudanese people eat weeds and plants to survive as war rages
Food distribution by the WFP for internally displaced persons at the Wad Almajzoub farm camp in Wad Medani, Gezira state, Sudan. (WFP/AP)
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Updated 28 June 2025

Driven to starvation, Sudanese people eat weeds and plants to survive as war rages

Driven to starvation, Sudanese people eat weeds and plants to survive as war rages
  • Sudan plunged into war in April 2023 when tensions between the Sudanese army and its rival paramilitary the RSF escalated to fighting and spread across the country, killing over 20,000 people and pushing many to the brink of famine

CAIRO: With Sudan in the grips of war and millions struggling to find enough to eat, many are turning to weeds and wild plants to quiet their pangs of hunger. They boil the plants in water with salt because, simply, there is nothing else.
Grateful for the lifeline it offered, a 60-year-old retired school teacher penned a love poem about a plant called Khadija Koro. It was “a balm for us that spread through the spaces of fear,” he wrote, and kept him and many others from starving.
A.H, who spoke on the condition his full name not be used, because he feared retribution from the warring parties for speaking to the press, is one of 24.6 million people in Sudan facing acute food insecurity — nearly half the population, according to the I ntegrated Food Security Phase Classification. Aid workers say the war spiked market prices, limited aid delivery, and shrunk agricultural lands in a country that was once a breadbasket of the world.
Sudan plunged into war in April 2023 when simmering tensions between the Sudanese army and its rival paramilitary the Rapid Support Forces escalated to fighting in the capital Khartoum and spread across the country, killing over 20,000 people, displacing nearly 13 million people, and pushing many to the brink of famine in what aid workers deemed the world’s largest hunger crisis.
Food insecurity is especially bad in areas in the Kordofan region, the Nuba Mountains, and Darfur, where El Fasher and Zamzam camp are inaccessible to the Norwegian Refugee Council, said Mathilde Vu, an aid worker with the group based in Port Sudan. Some people survive on just one meal a day, which is mainly millet porridge. In North Darfur, some people even sucked on coal to ease their hunger.
On Friday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called the Sudanese military leader Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan and asked him for a week-long ceasefire in El Fasher to allow aid delivery. Burhan agreed to that request, according to an army statement, but it’s unknown whether the RSF would agree to that truce.
A.H. said aid distribution often provided slight relief. His wife in children live in Obeid and also struggle to secure enough food due to high prices in the market.
His poem continued: “You were a world that sends love into the barren time. You were a woman woven from threads of the sun. You were the sandalwood and the jasmine and a revelation of green, glowing and longing.”
Fighting restricted travel, worsening food insecurity
Sudanese agricultural minister Abu Bakr Al-Bashari told Al-Hadath news channel in April that there are no indicators of famine in the country, but there is shortage of food supplies in areas controlled by the paramilitary forces, known as RSF.
However, Leni Kinzli, World Food Programme Sudan spokesperson, said 17 areas in Gezeira, most of the Darfur region, and Khartoum, including Jebel Aulia are at risk of famine. Each month, over 4 million people receive assistance from the group, including 1.7 million in areas facing famine or at risk, Kinzli said.
The state is suffering from two conflicts: one between the Rapid Support Forces and the army, and another with the People’s Liberation Movement-North, who are fighting against the army and have ties with the RSF, making it nearly impossible to access food, clean water, or medicine.
He can’t travel to Obeid in North Kordofan to be with his family, as the Rapid Support Forces blocked roads. Violence and looting have made travel unsafe, forcing residents to stay in their neighborhoods, limiting their access to food, aid workers said.
A.H. is supposed to get a retirement pension from the government, but the process is slow, so he doesn’t have a steady income. He can only transfer around $35 weekly to his family out of temporary training jobs, which he says is not enough.
Hassan, another South Kordofan resident in Kadugli said that the state has turned into a “large prison for innocent citizens” due to the lack of food, water, shelter, income, and primary health services caused by the RSF siege.
International and grassroots organizations in the area where he lives were banned by the local government, according to Hassan, who asked to be identified only by his first name in fear of retribution for speaking publicly while being based in an area often engulfed with fighting.
So residents ate the plants out of desperation.
“You would groan to give life an antidote when darkness appeared to us through the window of fear.,” A.H. wrote in his poem. “You were the light, and when our tears filled up our in the eyes, you were the nectar.
Food affordability
Vu warned that food affordability is another ongoing challenge as prices rise in the markets. A physical cash shortage prompted the Norwegian Refugee Council to replace cash assistance with vouchers. Meanwhile, authorities monopolize some markets and essential foods such as corn, wheat flour, sugar and salt are only sold through security approvals, according to Hassan.
Meanwhile, in southwest Sudan, residents of Nyala, the capital of South Darfur, rely on growing crops, but agricultural lands are shrinking due to fighting and lack of farming resources.
Hawaa Hussein, a woman who has been displaced in El Serif camp since 2004, told the AP that they benefit from the rainy season but they’re lacking essential farming resources such as seeds and tractors to grow beans, peanuts, sesame, wheat, and weika — dried powdered okra.
Hussein, a grandmother living with eight family members, said her family receives a food parcel every two months, containing lentils, salt, oil, and biscuits. Sometimes she buys items from the market with the help of community leaders.
“There are many families in the camp, mine alone has five children, and so aid is not enough for everyone … you also can’t eat while your neighbor is hungry and in need,” she said.
El Serif camp is sheltering nearly 49,000 displaced people, the camp’s civic leader Abdalrahman Idris told the AP. Since the war began in 2023, the camp has taken in over 5,000 new arrivals, with a recent surge coming from the greater Khartoum region, which is the Sudanese military said it took full control of in May.
“The food that reaches the camp makes up only 5 percent of the total need. Some people need jobs and income. People now only eat two meals, and some people can’t feed their children,” he said.
In North Darfur, south of El Fasher, lies Zamzam camp, one of the worst areas struck by famine and recent escalating violence. An aid worker with the Emergency Response Rooms previously based in the camp who asked not to be identified in fear of retribution for speaking with the press, told the AP that the recent wave of violence killed some and left others homeless.
Barely anyone was able to afford food from the market as a pound of sugar costs 20,000 Sudanese pounds ($33) and a soap bar 10,000 Sudanese pounds ($17).
The recent attacks in Zamzam worsened the humanitarian situation and he had to flee to a safer area. Some elderly men, pregnant women, and children have died of starvation and the lack of medical treatment, according to an aid worker, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he’s fearful of retribution for speaking publicly while living in an area controlled by one of the warring parties. He didn’t provide the exact number of those deaths.
He said the situation in Zamzam camp is dire— “as if people were on death row.”
Yet A.H. finished his poem with hope:
“When people clashed and death filled the city squares” A.H. wrote “you, Koro, were a symbol of life and a title of loyalty.”


Israel deports foreign activists who helped Palestinian olive harvest

Israel deports foreign activists who helped Palestinian olive harvest
Updated 2 sec ago

Israel deports foreign activists who helped Palestinian olive harvest

Israel deports foreign activists who helped Palestinian olive harvest
RAMALLAH: Israel’s Deputy Prime Minister Yariv Levin said Wednesday he had ordered the deportation of 32 foreign activists who had helped Palestinians harvest olives in the occupied West Bank, on the grounds they violated a military order.
Levin said the deportation order came after a complaint filed by Northern West Bank Settlements Council president Yossi Dagan, who said the activists were “anarchists who carried out provocations in the Samaria area.”
Rudy Schulkind, a 30-year-old British national among the deported, told AFP he had come to the West Bank to support Palestinian farmers.
This year’s olive season has been particularly violent, with several acts of vandalism and attacks from Israeli settlers.
Foreign activists often provide a presence meant to deter these incidents in rural West Bank areas.
Schulkind said he was held 72 hours by Israeli forces before being deported on October 19.
“We were arrested after they declared the area we were harvesting in as a military zone,” he said, alleging that this was a common Israeli tactic against Palestinians.
He added that all 32 international volunteers were arrested in an olive grove near the West Bank city of Nablus.
Schulkind said that he and the other volunteers “were never brought before a judge,” during their detention.
Minister Levin said the deportation was co-signed by National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, and accused the activists of violating “a military commander’s order” and of belonging to the UAWC (Union of Agricultural Work Committees).
UAWC is a Palestinian non-profit organization that focuses on agricultural development.
Israel labelled it a terrorist organization in 2021, along with five other NGOs, in a ruling condemned by the UN.
Schulkind did not disclose which organization he came with, but Fuad Abu Seif, General Director of UAWC, told AFP the volunteers came under a so-called “National Campaign” organized by many Palestinian NGOs and the Palestinian Ministry of Agriculture.
Abu Seif said the UAWC is a member of that campaign, but not an organizer.
For its part, the Palestinian foreign ministry condemned the arrests.

Qatari emir and Turkish president discuss Gaza ceasefire in Doha

Qatari emir and Turkish president discuss Gaza ceasefire in Doha
Updated 22 October 2025

Qatari emir and Turkish president discuss Gaza ceasefire in Doha

Qatari emir and Turkish president discuss Gaza ceasefire in Doha
  • The two leaders co-chaired the Qatari-Turkish Supreme Strategic Committee meeting in Doha
  • Sheikh Tamim and Erdogan witnessed the signing of several memoranda of understanding at the Amiri Diwan at the conclusion of the meeting

LONDON: Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani co-chaired the 11th meeting of the Qatari-Turkish Supreme Strategic Committee with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Doha on Wednesday.

During the meeting, they discussed strategies for cooperation across various areas, particularly in defense, trade, investment, energy, and information technology.

They discussed key regional and international issues, focusing on the Gaza Strip and occupied Palestinian territories, including the ceasefire in Gaza, peace efforts, and humanitarian aid flow, the Qatar News Agency reported.

Sheikh Tamim and Erdogan witnessed the signing of several memoranda of understanding in defense, trade, and strategic development planning at the Amiri Diwan at the conclusion of the meeting.

On the sidelines of the meeting, Qatari Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani discussed several topics with his Turkish counterpart, Hakan Fidan, including the ceasefire in Gaza.


Japan-backed telescope to power Lebanon’s first astronomical observatory on Mount Makmel

Japan-backed telescope to power Lebanon’s first astronomical observatory on Mount Makmel
Updated 22 October 2025

Japan-backed telescope to power Lebanon’s first astronomical observatory on Mount Makmel

Japan-backed telescope to power Lebanon’s first astronomical observatory on Mount Makmel
  • Telescope set to be installed at the observatory is a gift from Japan’s Kochi Prefecture to Notre Dame University–Louaize (NDU)
  • Will complement the university’s existing main observatory on campus, the largest of its kind in the Middle East

BEIRUT: Mount Makmel, Lebanon’s highest mountain rising 3,093 meters above sea level, is preparing to host the country’s first astronomical observatory.

A telescope set to be installed at the observatory is a gift from Japan’s Kochi Prefecture to Notre Dame University–Louaize (NDU). It will complement the university’s existing main observatory on campus, the largest of its kind in the Middle East.

NDU recently signed a cooperation agreement with the Municipality of Bsharri, as Mount Makmel, the tallest peak in the entire Levant, geographically spans the districts of Bsharri and Danniyeh. The region is renowned for hosting some of the last remaining Cedars of Lebanon forests.

The area has been identified by the National Council for Scientific Research as the most suitable site for astronomical studies.

University President Fr. Bechara Khoury described the project as “a new framework that opens broad educational and research horizons for students in the field of astronomical sciences.”

Meanwhile, Bsharri Mayor Joe Kairouz said that the municipality “will work to secure the necessary funding to implement the astronomical observatory project on Mount Makmel in cooperation with relevant local and international bodies, ensuring that its objectives are achieved according to the highest standards.”

According to the university president, the Notre Dame University–Louaize Observatory will foster “a dynamic framework of integrated scientific cooperation” between the main observatory on the Zouk Mosbeh campus and the new site on Mount Makmel.

Khoury said it reflects “the university’s educational and research mission, and enhances its capacity to provide precise astronomical data.”

Awareness activities will also be organized to promote scientific culture and public interest in astronomy.

The collaboration between NDU and the Bsharri Municipality also focuses on efforts to declare “Mount Makmel a Dark Sky Reserve, in order to protect the nocturnal environment and preserve the purity of the night sky from light pollution,” added Khoury.


ICJ: Israel must allow UN relief agency to supply Gaza aid

ICJ: Israel must allow UN relief agency to supply Gaza aid
Updated 22 October 2025

ICJ: Israel must allow UN relief agency to supply Gaza aid

ICJ: Israel must allow UN relief agency to supply Gaza aid
  • International Court of Justice International Court of Justice said UNRWA must provide humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian territory
  • Israel effectively banned the agency, the main provider of aid, from operating there

THE HAGUE, Netherlands: The International Court of Justice said on Wednesday that Israel must allow the UN aid agency in Gaza, known as UNRWA, to provide humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian territory.
The Hague-based court was asked last year by the UN General Assembly to determine Israel’s legal obligations after the country effectively banned the agency, the main provider of aid to Gaza, from operating there.
Israel “is under the obligation to agree to and facilitate relief schemes provided by the United Nations and its entities, including UNRWA,” ICJ President Yuji Iwasawa said.

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The advisory opinion from the World Court comes as a fragile US-brokered Gaza ceasefire agreement, which took effect on Oct. 10, continues to hold.
Israel has denied it has violated international law, saying the court’s proceedings are biased, and the country didn’t attend hearings in April. However, Israel provided a 38-page written submission for the court to consider.

UNRWA ban

The UN aid agency in Gaza has been effectively banned from the territory since January. UNRWA has faced criticism from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his far-right allies, who say the group is deeply infiltrated by Hamas.
UNRWA rejects that claim, and the ICJ found that Israel hadn’t “substantiated the allegations,” Iwasawa said.
The court also held that the population of the Gaza Strip had been “inadequately supplied,” and that Israel was required to ensure “the basic needs of the local population” are met.

A Palestinian flag flies outside the International Court of Justice ahead of the hearing. (AP)

During the hearings in April, Palestinian Ambassador to the Netherlands Ammar Hijazi told the court that Israel was “starving, killing and displacing Palestinians while also targeting and blocking humanitarian organizations trying to save their lives.”
In its written submission, Israel argued that the court should reject the request from the UN General Assembly, because it was too similar to other advisory opinions and the judges lacked the fact-finding abilities to make a determination.

Advisory opinion

In an advisory opinion last year, the court said that Israel’s presence in the occupied Palestinian territories is unlawful and called on it to end, and for settlement construction to stop immediately. That ruling fueled moves for unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state.
Israel condemned the decision, saying it failed to address the country’s security concerns.
Two decades ago, the court ruled that Israel’s West Bank separation barrier was “contrary to international law.” Israel boycotted those proceedings, saying they were politically motivated.
Advisory opinions carry significant legal weight, but are described as “nonbinding” as there are no direct penalties attached to ignoring them.
Wednesday opinion is separate from the ongoing proceedings initiated by South Africa, accusing Israel of committing genocide in Gaza. Israel rejects South Africa’s claim and accuses it of providing political cover for Hamas.

Arrest warrant for Netanyahu

Last year, another Hague-based tribunal, the International Criminal Court, issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former defense minister, Yoav Gallant, alleging that the pair have used “starvation as a method of warfare” by restricting humanitarian aid and have intentionally targeted civilians — charges that Israeli officials strongly deny.
The advisory opinion from the ICJ noted that Israel “is not to use starvation of the civilian population as a method of warfare.”
The war in Gaza was triggered by Hamas’ surprise attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, which left 1,200 people, mostly civilians, dead and 250 taken hostage. Israel’s retaliatory offensive in the Palestinian territory has killed more than 68,000 people, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
The ministry’s figures, which don’t distinguish between civilians and combatants, are seen as the most reliable by UN agencies and independent experts. Israel has disputed them without providing its own toll.


Israeli lawmakers approve advancement of West Bank annexation bills

The Israeli national flag flutters as apartments are seen in the background in the Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim.
The Israeli national flag flutters as apartments are seen in the background in the Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim.
Updated 22 October 2025

Israeli lawmakers approve advancement of West Bank annexation bills

The Israeli national flag flutters as apartments are seen in the background in the Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim.
  • Israeli media reported that Netanyahu had called on MPs from his Likud party to abstain from voting
  • The first text, passed by 32 MPs to nine, proposed annexing Maale Adumim, a large Israeli settlement home to some 40,000 people just east of Jerusalem
  • The second proposal to annex the entire West Bank was supported by 25 MPs while 24 voted against

JERUSALEM: Israeli lawmakers on Wednesday voted in favor of advancing two bills on annexing the occupied West Bank, an ambition openly promoted by far-right ministers in recent months.
The vote came with US Vice President JD Vance visiting Israel to shore up a Gaza ceasefire brokered by President Donald Trump, who has made clear he would not back annexation of the West Bank.
“I will not allow Israel to annex the West Bank,” Trump told reporters at the White House in September. “It’s not going to happen.”
Israeli media reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had called on MPs from his Likud party to abstain from voting.
In a statement, Likud called the votes “another provocation by the opposition aimed at damaging our relations with the United States.”
“True sovereignty will be achieved not through a showy law for the record, but through proper work on the ground,” it added.
During a preliminary reading on Wednesday, lawmakers voted in favor of examining two bills, which means they will be brought forward for further readings in parliament.
The first text, passed by 32 MPs to nine, proposed annexing Maale Adumim, a large Israeli settlement home to some 40,000 people just east of Jerusalem.
The second proposal to annex the entire West Bank was supported by 25 MPs while 24 voted against.
The Knesset, as the parliament is known, has 120 members.
Far-right members of Netanyahu’s cabinet have openly called for annexation of the Palestinian territory, occupied by Israel since 1967.
“Mr Prime Minister. The Knesset has spoken. The people have spoken,” Israel’s far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich posted on X.
“The time has come to impose full sovereignty over all of Judea and Samaria — the inheritance of our ancestors — and to promote peace agreements in exchange for peace with our neighbors with strength,” he said, using the Israeli Biblical term for the West Bank.
All of Israel’s settlements in the West Bank are illegal under international law.
In August, Israel approved a major settlement project between Maale Adumim and Jerusalem in an area of the Palestinian territory that the international community has warned threatens the viability of a future Palestinian state.
At a signing ceremony in September, Netanyahu vowed that there would be no Palestinian state.
“We are going to fulfil our promise that there will be no Palestinian state, this place belongs to us,” he said at the event in Maale Adumim.
Excluding Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem, the West Bank is home to around three million Palestinians, as well as more than 500,000 Israelis living in settlements.
Since the war in Gaza began in October 2023, violence has also surged in the West Bank.