Director and footy legend among celebs in Sudan plea over 'largest humanitarian crisis'

Director Steve McQueen, cookery legend Delia Smith and actor Will Poulter are urging to take greater action to tackle “the ’s largest humanitarian crisis” in Sudan.

The trio are among celebs who have signed a letter to the PM calling for the government to help save lives in the war-torn African country. England footballer Lucy Bronze, Downton Abbey star Joanne Froggatt, chef Rick Stein and actress Dame Harriet Walter have also put their names to the call. It comes as April marked two years since the conflict, which has sparked famine, broke out between paramilitary group, Rapid Support Forces, and Sudan’s army.

The letter to Starmer says: “Following over two years of violent conflict, Sudan is now the world’s largest humanitarian crisis, with half of the country’s population – a staggering 24.6 million people – already facing high levels of acute food insecurity. Together with a coalition of Sudanese civil-society and UK aid organisations, we are calling for rapid and scaled-up action from the UK Government to help save lives before it is too late.

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“The conflict has had a horrifying impact on children’s lives, with a staggering 16 million children now in dire need of support. These children have witnessed and been subject to brutal violence, have lost loved ones, have fled their homes and been forced to say goodbye to their schools and communities.”

The letter, organised by charity Plan International UK, is due to be handed in at Downing Street on Monday. In April, at a conference in London, Foreign Secretary – who visited the border of Sudan earlier this year – announced an extra £120 million of support for the stricken country. But the letter urges the government to “step up its efforts by… Announcing additional emergency funding for the Sudan crisis to help save lives, providing funding that has been promised so it reaches people who need it in the coming weeks, and urging other governments to scale-up their humanitarian efforts”.

The letter also calls on the government to increase “international pressure and effective mediation to secure an immediate ceasefire to end the violence”. Signatories also include actor and comedian Ben Bailey-Smith, author Candice Carty-Williams, musician Peter Gabriel, as well as actor Alex Macqueen.

The chiefs of War Child UK, Action Against Hunger and CAFOD, as well as the founder of Sudan’s Doctors for Human Rights, have signed the letter too. The letter also warns: “Women and girls are especially vulnerable in this crisis. Harrowing reports of gender-based violence have surged, millions of women and girls face an increased risk of exploitation and starvation, and girls are more likely to never return to school. Against the backdrop of global aid cuts, including those announced by the UK Government, it is critical that world leaders do not turn their backs on Sudan. Despite the UK’s efforts in hosting the London Sudan Conference in April, there has been a worrying lack of international progress on the crisis over recent months. Urgent action is needed now to end this violence and prevent massive loss of life.”

Poulter, whose films include The Revenant, Warfare and Detroit, added: “The stories about the scale of starvation coming out of Sudan are utterly heart-breaking. Families simply don’t have enough food, and millions of children are going to bed with empty stomachs every night. In parts of the country where food supplies are lowest, thousands of children are already dying due to extreme hunger. The situation is quickly escalating into one of the worst famines ever recorded. With such an extreme shortage of food, immediate action is needed now to save lives and prevent further suffering. We can’t let children and their families in Sudan starve to death.”

And Bronze, part of the Three Lions side which triumphed at Euro 2022, said: “Millions of children are caught up in this devastating crisis and girls are especially vulnerable. It’s harrowing to hear about girls as young as one experiencing rape and sexual violence. And girls are more likely to eat last and least when food runs out. No child should experience what the children in Sudan are going through right now. For their sake we all need to speak out and call for urgent action on Sudan now.”

Mohamed Kamal, Country Director for Plan International Sudan, said: “With every day that passes, more and more children face the unacceptable risk of death from extreme hunger, war and disease. Turning our backs on them would be utterly inhumane.”

An FCDO spokesperson said: “As the Foreign Secretary said, Sudan is suffering one of the worst humanitarian catastrophes on record, which is why we convened leaders from around the world in April to strengthen support for the Sudanese people. The UK is doing all we can to provide aid, and ... [in April] announced £120 million to support over 650,000 Sudanese people in desperate need. The number of people who need help will rise if the warring parties continue to show an appalling disregard for human life by blocking aid routes that must be kept open, accessible and safe.”