In brief
In a joint statement the U.S. and European states accuse the armed conflict in Sudan of driving the country toward famine, as 41% of the population faces acute food shortages and 5 million are in emergency hunger. The war, begun in April 2023, has displaced 14 million, vandalised homes and cut off critical supply routes. Despite a 2026 humanitarian plan, only 40% of funding has been secured, leaving many children at risk of severe malnutrition. The statement urges all parties to lift aid obstacles and highlights El Niño‑induced drought across half the country as an added threat. The emergency calls for rapid, unhindered assistance if Sudan is to avoid a full‑scale famine.
The United States and 30 other Western states have formally warned that Sudan is on the brink of famine as the civil war continues to dismantle critical infrastructure and block humanitarian aid.
The joint statement, signed by the United States, European Union member states, the United Kingdom, Canada, Switzerland, and Norway, emphasises that conflict-induced damage to infrastructure and disruption of food production are the main drivers of the country’s hunger crisis.
Yusuf Roble, regional director for Islamic Relief East Africa, told BBC Newsday that returnees to Omdurman find their homes destroyed or looted, and that there is “very little to survive on.” He described how a mother of seven has lost her bread‑winner with her husband missing for three and a half years.
The war, which erupted in April 2023 after a power struggle between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces, has already displaced 14 million people. At least 19.5 million—about 41 % of Sudan’s population—are now experiencing high levels of acute food insecurity, including 5 million facing emergency hunger.
Roble highlighted a critical funding gap: only 40 % of the 2026 humanitarian needs plan had been met as of September, leaving community kitchens with insufficient long‑term support and children’s malnutrition rates potentially exceeding 825 000 without swift intervention.
The statement warns that the number of children suffering from severe acute malnutrition could surpass projections if no immediate action is taken. Systematic obstruction of aid, compounded by El Niño‑driven drought across more than half the country, magnifies the crisis.
The signatories urge all warring parties to lift impediments to humanitarian assistance and ensure full, safe, and unimpeded access for aid workers. They call on the international community to step up fundraising to fill the funding gap and deliver critical nutrition programs.
The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, a UN‑backed metric, estimated that 5.1 million people in Sudan faced severe hunger in June. It now confronts a potential shift into a full‑scale famine, a scenario only preventable through concerted diplomatic and humanitarian effort.
