Western nations have sounded the alarm on Sudan’s worsening hunger crisis, linking the threat of famine directly to the country’s ongoing civil war. In a joint statement released by the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Canada, Switzerland and Norway, officials warned that without immediate action the number of children suffering from severe acute malnutrition could exceed the projected 825,000.
Why the warning matters
The statement, published by the U.S. State Department after first appearing on the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations website, describes the war as the primary driver of Sudan’s hunger emergency. It notes that fighting has damaged critical infrastructure, disrupted food production and created systematic obstacles to humanitarian aid.
Scale of the crisis
According to the joint assessment, 19.5 million people – roughly 41 % of Sudan’s population – are facing high levels of acute food insecurity. Of those, five million are at emergency hunger levels. In June, the UN‑backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification estimated that 5.1 million people in Sudan were already experiencing severe hunger.
Human stories behind the numbers
Yusuf Roble, regional director for Islamic Relief East Africa, told BBC Newsday that families returning to Omdurman are finding homes destroyed or looted, and that many rely on community kitchens that lack long‑term funding. He recounted meeting a mother of seven children whose husband, the family’s sole breadwinner, has been missing for three and a half years.
Funding shortfalls
Roble warned that only 40 % of Sudan’s 2026 humanitarian needs plan had been funded as of September, leaving a large gap in resources needed to sustain food‑security interventions. The statement emphasizes that the parties to the conflict bear primary responsibility for alleviating suffering by lifting impediments to aid and ensuring safe, rapid, unimpeded access.
Compounding factors
Beyond the conflict, the signatories cite the effects of El Niño, which has reduced rainfall and increased drought across more than half of Sudan, as an additional stressor on food production and availability.
What comes next?
The joint declaration calls for immediate steps to prevent famine, including:
- Removal of all obstacles to humanitarian assistance.
- Ensuring safe and rapid access for aid convoys.
- Accelerating funding to meet the remaining 60 % of the humanitarian plan.
Without these measures, the editorial team notes that the risk of a large‑scale famine remains high, and the humanitarian situation could deteriorate further, compounding the already severe health crisis described by the World Health Organization as the world’s worst humanitarian emergency.
Uncertainty and outlook
While the warning is clear, the exact timeline for any improvement remains uncertain. The continuation of hostilities between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces, which began in April 2023, hampers the delivery of aid and makes it difficult to gauge when, or if, the famine threat can be averted. The editorial will continue to monitor developments, focusing on any changes in access for humanitarian actors and shifts in funding commitments from the international community.