In brief
The United States and nearly 30 Western nations have issued a stark warning that Sudan could soon see a famine, as the civil war blocks essential aid. The joint statement cites war‑driven destruction of infrastructure and halted food production as the main drivers of the crisis. With 14 million displaced and only 40 % of the 2026 aid budget funded, experts fear child malnutrition will exceed 825,000 unless the blockade is lifted. The El Niño drought compounded the crisis, hitting more than half the country. Officials urge all parties to remove impediments and grant safe, rapid access to prevent the worst humanitarian outcome in recent history.
The United States and almost 30 Western nations have issued a stark warning that Sudan may soon enter a famine zone, as the ongoing civil war cuts off essential aid.
The joint statement—signed by the EU, UK, Canada, Switzerland, Norway and the US—pinpointed war‑driven destruction of infrastructure and halted food production as the main culprits behind the country’s acute food insecurity.
Yusuf Roble, regional director for Islamic Relief East Africa, wrote to BBC Newsday that families moving back to Omdurman find their homes looted or destroyed, leaving “very little to survive on.”
With 14 million people displaced since the conflict erupted in April 2023, the World Health Organization now calls Sudan’s humanitarian crisis the world’s worst, yet only 40 % of the 2026 aid budget has been disbursed.
The statement warns that the number of children suffering from severe acute malnutrition could far exceed the projected 825,000 if the blockade on aid persists, and cites the El Niño‑driven drought that has hit more than half of the country.
Officials are urged to lift all impediments to humanitarian assistance and allow safe, rapid, unimpeded access, “the parties to the conflict bear primary responsibility for alleviating the suffering of the Sudanese people.”
In June, the UN‑backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification estimated that 5.1 million people were in “severe hunger” conditions, a figure likely to climb as the war continues.
The war began last March after a power struggle between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces erupted into armed conflict, plunging the nation into chaos.
