Chuol Jany|CRN- JUBA
As Sudan marks more than 1,000 days of devastating conflict, millions of families are being pushed closer to starvation, with the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) warning that its life-saving operations are at risk due to severe funding shortages.
Sudan has become the world’s largest hunger and displacement crisis, with no sign of relief as fighting continues across the country. Since the conflict reignited in April 2023, WFP has provided emergency food, cash, and nutrition assistance to more than 10 million vulnerable people, reaching an average of four million people each month, including in hard-to-reach areas of Darfur, Kordofan, Khartoum, and Al Jazira.
However, WFP says those gains are now under threat. “These hard-earned gains risk being reversed,” said Ross Smith, WFP Director of Emergency Preparedness and Response.
“We have been forced to cut food rations to the bare minimum needed for survival. By the end of March, our food stocks in Sudan will be exhausted. Without urgent funding, millions could be left without assistance within weeks.”
Despite limited resources, WFP has continued operations in famine-affected and high-risk areas, delivering regular aid to nearly 1.8 million people over the past six months. Recent access breakthroughs, including a joint UN convoy to Kadugli in October, have allowed aid to reach communities cut off for months.
More than 21 million people across Sudan are now facing acute hunger, while famine has been confirmed in several areas where fighting has blocked humanitarian access. The conflict has also displaced nearly 12 million people, forcing families to flee their homes in search of safety and food.
Children are among the hardest hit. An estimated 3.7 million children, along with pregnant and breastfeeding women, are malnourished. Surveys from parts of North Darfur show alarming levels of malnutrition, with more than half of young children affected in some locations.
“One thousand days of conflict is one thousand days too many,” Smith said. “Every day the fighting continues, families sink deeper into hunger. We can still prevent famine from spreading, but only if we receive the funding needed to support the most vulnerable.”
WFP says it urgently needs USD 700 million to sustain its Sudan operations from January to June, warning that failure to secure funds will have catastrophic consequences for millions already on the brink.