In brief
In a joint statement, the United States and 30 Western governments have warned of an alarming deterioration in Sudan’s food security, citing the ongoing civil war as the primary driver of the nation’s severe hunger crisis. The 2026 WHO report estimates that over 33 million Sudanese people now require assistance, while 19.5 million face acute food insecurity. Despite the dire situation, only 40% of the 2026 humanitarian funding plan has been met, leaving children at risk of severe malnutrition. The statement calls on all parties to lift barriers to aid delivery and secure safe, rapid access amid compounded challenges from El Niño‑driven drought.
The US and 30 other Western states have warned of an "alarming deterioration" in Sudan’s food security, urging the warring sides to free humanitarian corridors and prevent famine.
In a joint statement published Monday by the State Department and the EU’s civil protection portal, leaders identified the conflict as the root cause of the nation’s hunger crisis—damage to infrastructure and disruption of food production have left millions starving.
Yusuf Roble, regional director of Islamic Relief East Africa, told BBC Newsday that people returning to Omdurman find their homes destroyed or looted, with very little to survive on. The war, which began in April 2023, has displaced 14 million people.
The statement estimates that 19.5 million Sudanese—or 41% of the population—are experiencing acute food insecurity, with five million facing emergency hunger. It also warns that up to 825,000 children could suffer severe acute malnutrition if aid is not stepped up.
Roble noted that only 40% of the 2026 humanitarian funding plan had been met by September, and that community kitchens, the main food source for many, suffer from chronic underfunding. "Their meals come from the community kitchen, which doesn’t even have long‑term support because of funding cuts," he said.
The joint statement also cites systematic aid obstruction and the El Niño‑caused drought—affecting more than half of Sudan’s territory—as aggravating the crisis. It calls on all parties to the conflict to lift obstacles and allow safe, rapid, and unimpeded access for relief efforts.
The UN‑backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification last month logged 5.1 million individuals facing severe hunger in Sudan. The civil war erupted over a power struggle between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces.
