(MENAFN) Poverty across Sudan has surged more than threefold since civil conflict erupted in April 2023, the nation's minister of human resources and social welfare, Mutasim Ahmed Saleh, has disclosed.

During a Saturday press conference, Saleh revealed that roughly 23 million Sudanese now subsist below the poverty threshold.

"The poverty rate in Sudan rose from 21% to 71% due to the war according to official reports," he said as quoted by Sudanese news website.

The minister traced the dramatic poverty spike to escalating hostilities between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces. He outlined government strategies to combat the crisis through expanded employment initiatives and reconstruction programs targeting productive economic sectors. He committed to implementing reforms facilitating easier financing access for domestic producers.

The warfare has decimated regional economies and displaced millions from their communities.

Sudan's war and accusations of foreign meddling
On October 26, the RSF announced capturing Al Fashir, capital of North Darfur, along with the army's Sixth Infantry Division headquarters. Subsequently, the Sudan Doctors' Union reported more than 2,200 fatalities within the initial hours of the militia's assault and 390,000 displaced during the operation.

Another organization, the Sudan Doctors Network, documented deteriorating circumstances causing at least three child deaths daily in the city from food scarcity.

An November report from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) found approximately 21.2 million individuals—roughly 45% of Sudan's population—experiencing acute food insecurity in September, particularly in Al Fashir and Kadugli.

The World Bank announced in June that the global benchmark for assessing extreme poverty in low-income nations is currently established at $3.00 per person per day.

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