According to the evaluation, More than 19.5 million people (about two in five Sudanese) are experiencing critical levels of food insecurity or worse.. More than five million people face emergency levels of hunger, while around 135,000 people already live in catastrophic conditions marked by extreme food shortages, acute malnutrition and an increased risk of death.
Although no areas have yet been formally classified as famine zones, the agencies warned that 14 areas in Darfur and Kordofan will remain at risk in the coming months if fighting intensifies and humanitarian access deteriorates further.
“Famine continues to threaten the people of Sudan, just as hunger and malnutrition threaten millions of lives right now.”said WFP Executive Director Cindy McCain.
Sudan has been embroiled in a brutal conflict since April 2023, when fighting broke out between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), leading to widespread displacement, economic collapse and repeated attacks on civilian infrastructure.
the war has uprooted nearly nine million people within the country and severely disrupted agriculturetrade and access to humanitarian aid.
The most affected children
According to UNICEF, children are the most affected by the crisis.
In 2026, an estimated 825,000 children under the age of five will suffer from severe acute malnutrition (the deadliest form of malnutrition), an increase of seven percent compared to last year and 25 percent above pre-conflict levels.
“Children suffering from severe acute malnutrition arrive at overloaded facilities and too weak to cry.”said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell.
Between January and March alone, nearly 100,000 children were admitted for treatment for severe acute malnutrition, according to the agencies.
Witness to Sudan’s suffering
As Sudan’s humanitarian crisis deepens, the human cost of the conflict becomes increasingly difficult to ignore.
Photographer Giles Clarke, who recently traveled to eastern Sudan with the support of the UN aid coordination office, OCHA, spoke with UN News about documenting lives marked by hunger, displacement and war, and why sustained international attention remains essential.
Here is a part of the conversation:
Collapse of basic services
UN agencies said The crisis is being fueled not only by conflict and displacement, but also by the collapse of basic services..
About 40 percent of health centers are no longer functional, while some 17 million people lack safe drinking water and 24 million lack adequate sanitation services. Repeated outbreaks of cholera, measles, malaria and other diseases are worsening conditions, especially for young children and pregnant women.
“The latest CPI results confirm what we see every day in Sudan.“said Ross Smith, WFP’s Director of Emergencies and Preparedness, speaking to reporters in Geneva.”Hunger is not only widespread, but is getting worse.”
Aid agencies have warned that humanitarian operations remain far below the scale required. Insecurity, bureaucratic restrictions and attacks on supply routes continue to prevent assistance from reaching many of the most affected communities.
An eight-month-old girl is treated for severe acute malnutrition at a WFP-supported nutrition center in Port Sudan. (file photo)
Lack of aid funding
According to the agencies, only 20 percent of Sudan’s Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan for 2026 had been funded as of April.
UN agencies and partners aimed to reach 4.8 million people each month between February and May, but only about 3.1 million people received assistance in February.
The agencies called for an immediate cessation of hostilities, increased humanitarian access and urgent international funding to prevent further deterioration ahead of the lean season between June and September, when food shortages are expected to worsen further.
“To prevent further loss of life and famine, we must urgently increase emergency agricultural assistance to boost local food production.”said FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu.