China will send a new pair of giant pandas to the Zoo Atlanta in the United States under a 10-year international conservation cooperation agreement, according to the China Wildlife Conservation Association on Friday.
The association signed an international cooperative research agreement on giant panda conservation with Zoo Atlanta in the United States last year, said a press release of the association.
Under the agreement, a pair of giant pandas, Ping Ping (male) and Fu Shuang (female), from the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, will travel to the United States to begin the 10-year cooperation program on giant panda conservation.
At a regular press briefing on Friday, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Guo Jiakun said the new round of international giant panda conservation cooperation between China and the United States will enhance the friendship between the people of the two countries.
"The giant panda is China's national treasure and also serves as a bridge of friendship among peoples around the world," Guo told a press briefing, adding that it is believed that the new round of international giant panda conservation cooperation between China and the United States will make new contributions to promoting the health and well-being of giant pandas, improving the ability to protect endangered species, promoting global biodiversity conservation and enhancing the friendship between the two peoples.
China to send new pair of pandas to US for conservation cooperation
The Sudan conflict now in its fourth year has pushed millions into poverty, even forcing some families to rely on animal fodder to survive.
Fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) erupted in April 2023, following months of escalating tensions between Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the army chief and head of Sudan's ruling council, and Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, the RSF commander and al-Burhan's former deputy.
Nearly 6.9 million Sudanese were pushed into extreme poverty in 2023 alone, according to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Currently, around 70 percent of the population are estimated to live in poverty in the country, compared with 38 percent before the war, said UNDP Resident Representative in Sudan Luca Renda.
At the Tawila Camp in North Darfur State, Salha Musa, a displaced widow from El Fasher, is struggling to provide her six children with minimal resources.
Water is available from wells, but other essential services are absent. Inflation and scarcity have forced families to rely on unconventional foods. Everyday staples have disappeared from local markets, leaving vulnerable families at risk of malnutrition.
"Since we arrived in Tawila a month ago, we've been suffering from a severe lack of services, except for water, which we draw from wells. We have no other services here, and we desperately need assistance. Our children aren't receiving an education, and I'm a nurse, but I can't find work," said Salha.
The UNDP warns that Sudan's economy has collapsed under the weight of the ongoing conflict, with GDP falling sharply and more than 13 million people displaced. Extreme poverty rates now surpass those of the 1980s.
"Life is incredibly difficult for us poor people. If we don't have money, what are we supposed to do? Will we starve to death? After the price of corn flour became so high, we stopped buying it. I don't know why they're raising prices or hoarding goods. Flour has completely disappeared from the markets here. After that, flour became expensive and unavailable," said Summia Ahmed, another displaced woman from El Fasher, adding that her family has even started relying on "Ombaz", a kind of animal fodder, as their food.
UNDP projections show that peace could lift millions out of extreme poverty, but delays and continued conflict risk locking the country into decades of low growth and deprivation.
For families like Salha's and Summia's, the road ahead remains uncertain, as conflict continues to dictate daily survival in Sudan.
Sudan conflict pushes millions into poverty
