Sudan’s Conflict Pushes Millions into Deeper Hunger, UN Warns

Sudan’s Conflict Pushes Millions into Deeper Hunger, UN Warns
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Millions of people fleeing Sudan’s civil war risk worsening hunger as they seek refuge in countries already facing severe food insecurity, the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) warned this week. More than four million Sudanese refugees in neighboring countries—including Egypt, Chad, Ethiopia, Libya, Uganda, and the Central African Republic—are at risk of further food shortages as critical funding for humanitarian assistance declines, the WFP said on Monday.

Sudan’s conflict, which erupted in April 2023 after fighting broke out between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), has killed an estimated 40,000 people and displaced nearly 13 million inside and outside the country, according to UN agencies.

Inside Sudan, nearly half of the population is facing acute food insecurity, with malnutrition spreading rapidly in conflict zones. The Sudan Doctors Network reported that at least 239 children have died in El Fasher, North Darfur, over the past six months due to severe food and medicine shortages and the bombing of nutrition warehouses.

“Refugees from Sudan are fleeing for their lives and yet are being met with more hunger, despair, and limited resources on the other side of the border,” said Shaun Hughes, WFP’s Emergency Coordinator for the Sudan Regional Crisis. “Food assistance is a lifeline for vulnerable refugee families with nowhere else to turn.”

Images posted by the Darfur Victims Support Organization this week show long lines of citizens in Sudan waiting for meals at charity kitchens. The group urged armed factions to agree to a ceasefire and allow humanitarian aid to reach civilians. Despite UN calls for a week-long truce to deliver aid in El Fasher, fighting between the army and RSF resumed on Monday.

Local committees reported continued artillery strikes on residential areas, markets, and livestock yards, worsening the humanitarian crisis. Meanwhile, aid organizations say international funding cuts have further strained relief efforts. The International Rescue Committee reported that 90 communal kitchens in Khartoum closed due to lost funding, leaving over 500,000 people without reliable food support.