Sudan hunger crisis deepens as UN warns millions face acute food shortages
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.
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 affectedChildren 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 sufferingAs 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:
