Sudan's famine risk worsened by conflict, drought and funding shortages, report says

The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, or IPC, is a global food-crisis monitor and assessment system. It groups food insecurity by severity. This matters because it helps identify where hunger is worsening and where urgent assistance is needed. The article uses IPC findings to describe Sudan's deteriorating humanitarian situation.

Its most severe level is Phase 5. This classification means extreme food shortages, starvation, very high malnutrition, and deaths from disease or acute malnutrition. In Sudan, 135,000 people were in Phase 5 during the May assessment. That figure shows that the crisis had already reached its most dangerous stage for some communities.

The IPC also identified parts of greater Darfur and Kordofan as at risk of famine. It reported worsening malnutrition, low food stocks, crop failures, and drought. These findings help explain why humanitarian groups are calling for a rapid, major increase in assistance and safe access for aid workers.

In May, nearly 19.5 million people in Sudan faced high levels of acute food insecurity. That was more than 40% of the country's population. The scale shows that hunger is not limited to a few isolated communities. It is affecting a large share of Sudan during an ongoing war and severe drought.

The areas of greatest concern are across greater Darfur and Kordofan. The IPC also identified specific locations at risk of famine. North Darfur has faced delayed rains and critically low food stocks. Western Kordofan is experiencing one of its worst droughts since 2004, while other Darfur and Kordofan areas have suffered poor crop growth.

The situation is also worsening in places such as Nyala and two displacement camps in South Darfur. The IPC found global acute malnutrition above famine thresholds in those camps. Without more assistance, the affected regions face deeper hunger, malnutrition, and potentially higher mortality.

Conflict, drought, and funding shortages are reinforcing one another. Fighting has displaced millions, disrupted farming, and pushed parts of Sudan into famine. Drought linked to El Niño affects more than half the country. It causes localized crop failures and removes food and income from households that depend on agriculture.

The IPC reported poor growth on 64% of croplands in North Darfur and about half in South Darfur, West Kordofan, and South Kordofan. Delayed rains and critically low food stocks have worsened North Darfur's crisis. Western Kordofan has experienced one of its worst droughts since 2004. These conditions reduce both harvests and household earnings.

At the same time, humanitarian organizations need more resources to support people who can no longer meet their needs. The IPC warned that assistance must increase quickly and significantly. If it does not, food insecurity, acute malnutrition, and excess mortality will likely intensify across affected areas.

Sudan's war began in April 2023, when tensions between the military and the Rapid Support Forces escalated into fighting in Khartoum. The conflict then spread across the country. It has killed at least 150,000 people, according to ACLED, and displaced about 13 million. Such disruption separates families from farms, markets, homes, and jobs.

Farmers' livelihoods have been affected, the IPC reported. Poor crop growth has damaged 64% of croplands in North Darfur and about half in several other Darfur and Kordofan areas. Drought and delayed rains add further pressure. With less harvest income and fewer food supplies, households increasingly depend on humanitarian assistance.

The result is a wider food crisis in communities already weakened by displacement and violence. Parts of Sudan have entered famine, while other areas face rising malnutrition and low food stocks. Ending the conflict and ensuring safe, sustained humanitarian access are considered essential to improving conditions.

Without a quick and significant increase in humanitarian assistance, Sudan's crisis is expected to worsen. The IPC specifically warned that food insecurity, acute malnutrition, and excess mortality will likely intensify. This means more households could lack enough food, more children could become dangerously malnourished, and more people could die from disease or acute malnutrition.

Nyala provides a clear example. Among children accessing nutrition services there, admissions for severe acute malnutrition more than doubled from approximately 5% to 11% between January and August. Two displacement camps in South Darfur also recorded global acute malnutrition above famine thresholds. These figures show that conditions are already deteriorating.

The future depends heavily on aid and access. Humanitarian organizations say ending the conflict and ensuring safe, sustained assistance are essential. Repeated peace efforts have not ended the war. Continued fighting, drought, low food stocks, and inadequate funding could therefore deepen famine conditions across Darfur and Kordofan.

Crop failures reduce the food available to families and remove income from farmers. Critically low food stocks show that households and communities have little reserve when harvests fail or supplies cannot arrive. Rising severe child malnutrition is an especially serious warning because it indicates that children are not receiving enough food or nutrients to remain healthy.

Sudan shows all three signs. Drought caused localized crop failures, while poor growth affected 64% of croplands in North Darfur. North Darfur also reported delayed rains and critically low food stocks. In Nyala, the share of children admitted for severe acute malnutrition rose from approximately 5% to 11% between January and August.

These indicators matter because they reveal a crisis moving beyond temporary hunger. Families may lack food now, while farms cannot provide the next harvest and children are already suffering. Two South Darfur displacement camps recorded malnutrition above famine thresholds, confirming the danger.

A food crisis often develops through linked losses. Families first lose crops, wages, livestock, or access to markets. They then have less food and income, so they reduce meals or depend on assistance. If conflict, drought, or low supplies continue, households cannot rebuild their reserves. Children and other vulnerable people become malnourished.

The article describes this process in Sudan. Drought caused crop failures and reduced income, while war damaged farmers' livelihoods and displaced about 13 million people. North Darfur faced delayed rains and critically low stocks. In Nyala, severe acute malnutrition admissions among children more than doubled from approximately 5% to 11%.

As hunger persists, weakened people face greater risks from disease. The IPC defines Phase 5 through extreme food shortages, starvation, very high malnutrition, and deaths from disease or acute malnutrition. Without more assistance, the group expects food insecurity, malnutrition, and excess mortality to intensify.