The Sudanese government has rejected a UN report describing the food security situation in the country as a famine.
Agriculture Minister Abubakar Omar El-Bushra expressed reservations about the methodology used in the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification report, particularly its data collection and analysis methods.
Speaking at a news conference in the eastern city of Port Sudan, El-Bushra said the figures are unrealistic.
The minister said the report’s surveys covered 15 states, 11 of which are in conflict zones, with seven under siege by the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary group, making field surveys impossible.
The agriculture minister also announced Sudan’s decision to discontinue its association with the IPC.