Two regions of Sudan now suffer from famine, a global hunger monitoring group confirmed, dramatically escalating the humanitarian catastrophe stemming from a brutal two-year war between rival military factions.
The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification announced in a new report on Monday that famine had reached El Fasher in North Darfur and the besieged town of Kadugli in South Kordofan province. The crisis, the report warned, is expected to endure until at least January.
The official famine confirmation — the most severe level of hunger — means these areas are experiencing extreme food shortages, severe malnutrition, and high mortality rates. The findings put Sudan, a sprawling northeastern African nation, in a deepening state of emergency, with IPC stressing the crisis was preventable.
“Famine and the risk of famine are urgent priorities, but they are only the most severe symptoms of a far broader and deepening crisis affecting millions across Sudan,” the report said. "This is a man-made emergency, and all steps needed to prevent further catastrophe are clear."
IPC called for maximum diplomatic pressure for an immediate ceasefire and an end to the blockades, and ultimately the cessation of the conflict itself. It also urged full humanitarian and commercial access, and the strengthening of local aid efforts.
"Given the scale of the crisis and the limited resources," the report concluded, "humanitarian aid can only prevent famine temporarily and in limited locations unless these wider causes are addressed."
Acute hunger engulfs half the nation
The confirmed famine zones represent the most extreme cases of a national crisis that has engulfed nearly half the population. IPC's analysis, covering the situation as of September, revealed the extent of the disaster.
Some 21.2 million people, or 45% of the nation’s population, face high levels of acute food insecurity. That devastating figure includes 6.3 million people suffering from emergency hunger, alongside the 375,000 people officially experiencing famine.
"Sudan remains the world’s largest food crisis," World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said of the new famine findings. "An immediate ceasefire and humanitarian access are a must to prevent further deterioration and save lives."
The report noted significant concern for Dilling, in South Kordofan, which is estimated to be facing similar catastrophic conditions to Kadugli, but could not be formally classified due to severe data access limitations.
The war, which began in April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces and Rapid Support Forces, is driving the catastrophe. Intense fighting has led to the mass displacement of an estimated 10 million people, crippled the country’s agricultural sector, and destroyed essential civilian infrastructure, including supply routes and markets.
The volatility of the conflict heightens the risk of famine spreading further. The IPC warned that 20 other localities in Darfur and the central Kordofan region are under threat, particularly those struggling to cope with large influxes of internally displaced people fleeing the violence.
While a temporary alleviation of hunger is projected after the harvest later this year, reducing the number of people in acute food insecurity to 19.2 million from October to January, the long-term outlook remains dire.
Gains will be severely constrained in high-conflict areas like North Darfur and the Western Nuba Mountains. By the subsequent pre-lean season phase, from February to May, the number of acutely food-insecure people is projected to remain alarmingly high at 19.1 million.
