People in Sudan and Gaza are starving. The international community must act | Alex de Waal

Sudan is the largest food crisis and Gaza is the worst emergency by intensity of deprivation - both disasters need urgent action

I care about both Gaza and Sudan. It's distasteful to compare extreme human suffering. But we can use the international metrics for famine to explain why each humanitarian crisis is uniquely terrible - and why people caught in both need urgent action.

Sudan is the largest food crisis in the world by the sheer numbers affected. The country's warring generals can immediately end the worst hunger by agreeing to a ceasefire and facilitating humanitarian aid. But it's a complicated, deep-rooted crisis that will take years to resolve.