Nearly 19.5 million people in Sudan — more than 40% of the population — are facing high levels of acute food insecurity, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification said in an analysis released this week, describing a humanitarian emergency that continues to deepen into its third year of war.
The IPC found that no area of the country currently meets the threshold for famine, but warned that 14 areas across North Darfur, South Darfur and South Kordofan are at risk of slipping into famine conditions. The assessment follows earlier confirmations of famine in Kadugli and El Fasher and likely famine in Dilling last September.
The classification estimated that about 825,000 children under the age of five would suffer severe acute malnutrition in 2026, a 7% increase on last year and a 25% rise on pre-war levels, amid limited access to medical treatment.
Almost 34 million people — roughly two-thirds of Sudan’s population — will need humanitarian assistance this year, the highest figure of any country in the world and an increase of 3.3 million on 2025.
Monitors said erratic rainfall, continued fighting and disrupted trade routes were all worsening hunger. The effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which has constrained regional fuel and commodity flows, was cited among the factors compounding the crisis.
Aid agencies have repeatedly warned that humanitarian access remains the central obstacle, with relief convoys struggling to reach communities cut off by front lines. The IPC urged an immediate scaling-up of assistance to areas at risk.