Sudan hunger crisis deepens as UN warns millions face acute food shortages

This article is published in association with United Nations.

Nearly 20 million people across Sudan are facing acute hunger and more than 800,000 children risk severe malnutrition this year, UN agencies warned on Friday, as civil war, mass displacement and collapsing food and health systems deepen one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises and push parts of the country closer to famine.

The warning came in a joint alert issued by the UN World Food Programme (WFP), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), citing the latest analysis from the global food insecurity monitor, IPC.

According to the assessment, over 19.5 million people – around two out of every five Sudanese – are experiencing crisis levels of food insecurity or worse. More than five million people are facing emergency levels of hunger, while around 135,000 people are already living in catastrophic conditions marked by extreme food shortages, acute malnutrition and heightened risk of death.

Although no area has yet been formally classified as experiencing famine, the agencies warned that 14 areas across Darfur and Kordofan remain at risk in the coming months if fighting intensifies and humanitarian access deteriorates further.

“Famine continues to threaten the people of Sudan, as hunger and malnutrition are threatening millions of lives right now,” said WFP Executive Director Cindy McCain.

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Sudan has been engulfed in brutal conflict since April 2023, when fighting erupted between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), triggering widespread displacement, economic collapse and repeated attacks on civilian infrastructure.

The war has uprooted nearly nine million people inside the country and severely disrupted agriculture, trade and access to humanitarian aid.

Children worst affected

Children are bearing the brunt of the crisis, according to UNICEF.

An estimated 825,000 children under five are expected to suffer from severe acute malnutrition in 2026 – the deadliest form of malnutrition – representing a seven per cent increase compared to last year and 25 per cent above pre-conflict levels.

“Children suffering from severe acute malnutrition arrive at overstretched facilities too weak to cry,” said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell.

Between January and March alone, nearly 100,000 children were admitted for treatment for severe acute malnutrition, according to the agencies.

Bearing witness to Sudan’s suffering

As Sudan’s humanitarian crisis deepens, the human toll of the conflict is becoming ever more difficult to ignore.

Photographer Giles Clarke, who recently travelled to eastern Sudan with support from the UN relief coordination office, OCHA, spoke to UN News about documenting lives shaped by hunger, displacement and war – and why sustained international attention remains critical.

Here is a part of the conversation:

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Collapse of basic services

UN agencies said the crisis is being fuelled not only by conflict and displacement, but also by the collapse of basic services.

Around 40 per cent of health facilities are no longer functioning, while some 17 million people lack safe drinking water and 24 million lack adequate sanitation. Repeated outbreaks of cholera, measles, malaria and other diseases are worsening conditions, particularly for young children and pregnant women.

“The latest IPC results confirm what we are seeing every day in Sudan,” said Ross Smith, WFP Director of Emergencies and Preparedness, speaking to reporters in Geneva. “Hunger is not only widespread, but it is deepening.”

Aid agencies warned that humanitarian operations remain far below the scale required. Insecurity, bureaucratic restrictions and attacks on supply routes continue to block assistance from reaching many of the worst-affected communities.

Lack of aid funding

Only 20 per cent of Sudan’s 2026 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan had been funded by April, according to the agencies.

UN agencies and partners aimed to reach 4.8 million people each month between February and May, but only around 3.1 million people received assistance in February.

The agencies called for an immediate cessation of hostilities, expanded humanitarian access and urgent international funding to prevent further deterioration ahead of the lean season between June and September, when food shortages are expected to worsen further.

“To prevent further loss of life and starvation, we must urgently scale up emergency agricultural assistance to boost local food production,” said FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu.