United States and 30 Western States Warn of Famine Risk in Sudan

What changed

The United States and 30 other Western states warned that Sudan’s food crisis is deteriorating alarmingly and urged the Sudanese Armed Forces and Rapid Support Forces to remove barriers to humanitarian aid. The warning says 19.5 million people, 41% of Sudan’s population: face acute food insecurity, including five million facing emergency hunger, while severe acute malnutrition among children could exceed 825,000 without immediate action.

Why it matters

Sudan’s war, which began in April 2023, has displaced 14 million people and damaged the infrastructure needed to produce and deliver food. People returning to Omdurman are finding homes destroyed or looted, while some families now depend on community kitchens with uncertain funding.

The aid system is already short of money: only 40% of Sudan’s 2026 humanitarian needs plan had been funded as of September. Reduced rainfall and drought linked to El Niño are worsening conditions across more than half the country, adding pressure to a crisis driven primarily by the fighting.

The outlook is stark. If the warring sides allow full, safe and rapid aid access and funding rises, humanitarian agencies may be able to slow the deterioration. If either fails, hunger and child malnutrition are likely to deepen. A June UN-backed assessment had already estimated that 5.1 million people faced severe hunger.