Sudan Hunger Deepens as Violence Blocks Vital Aid

A woman who fled El Fasher in Darfur carries aid in a displacement camp in Tawila.

More than 21 million people in Sudan — 45 per cent of the population — are not getting enough to eat as the war between rival militaries continues, according to the World Food Programme (WFP).

UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric shared the update during the regular briefing to journalists in New York on Thursday.

The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have been fighting for power since April 2023, creating one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.

‘Unimaginable violence’ in El Fasher

Violence has escalated in recent weeks following the RSF’s capture of El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, after a siege lasting more than a year.

WFP Sudan reported that as families continue to flee the city, its teams remain on the ground providing urgent assistance.

“We’re quickly delivering emergency food and nutrition supplies for hundreds of thousands who are escaping unimaginable violence and hunger,” it said.

Access determines survival

Mr. Dujarric noted that famine has been confirmed in both El Fasher and Kadugli, the capital of South Kordofan, areas now largely cut off from aid.

“However, in nine other locations where WFP has maintained consistent access, famine-like conditions have been reversed thanks to sustained assistance,” he said.

“WFP stresses that where conflict has eased and humanitarian operations have expanded, hunger has declined, showing that consistent access is the difference between starvation and actual recovery.”

Millions more could be reached

The agency currently assists more than four million people each month with emergency food, cash, and nutrition support in previously hard-to-reach areas across four states: Darfur, Kordofan, Khartoum and Al Jazira.

“With more resources, WFP could double its reach to eight million people monthly and further reduce the risk of famine spreading into the hardest-hit areas,” he added.

“But without additional support, this fragile progress could quickly be undone.”

Mr. Dujarric urged the international community to step up with the funding needed “to help people in Sudan who so desperately need help.”

Families ‘running out of time’

Separately, the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, issued an urgent appeal on Thursday, warning that Sudanese civilians “are now running out of time” as communities remain cut off from aid.

The agency highlighted the plight of families fleeing fighting and mass reported atrocities in El Fasher.

“Children are hungry, parents are desperate… They need protection, safety and humanitarian access,” UNHCR said.

‘The hostilities must stop’: Guterres

The appeal came a day after the UN Secretary-General expressed grave concern over reports of widespread atrocities in El Fasher and intensifying violence in the Kordofans.

António Guterres, speaking after the annual UN–AU joint conference in New York, said:

“The flow of weapons and fighters from external parties must be cut off. The flow of humanitarian aid must be allowed to quickly reach civilians in need. The hostilities must stop.”

He called on both sides to engage with his Personal Envoy for Sudan and “take swift, tangible steps toward a negotiated settlement.”