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Sudan

Famine Confirmed in Two Areas

Famine has been confirmed in El Fasher and Kadugli – conflict-hit towns largely cut off from humanitarian assistance. WFP urgently needs your support to scale up operations and reach people in Sudan with lifesaving food.
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Measuring Hunger in Sudan

The conflict in Sudan has created a hunger catastrophe. At least 21 million people (nearly half the population) are facing acute hunger, including 375,000 people facing starvation. WFP is doing everything possible to deliver food to affected communities.

Sudan Facts

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Population: 48.1 million people.
Background: Sudan gained its independence in 1956. In 2011, the southern region of Sudan seceded and became South Sudan.
Geography & Climate: Sudan is located in northeastern Africa and shares borders with Egypt, Libya, Chad, the Central African Republic, South Sudan, Ethiopia and Eritrea, along with a coast on the Red Sea.
Economy: The 2011 secession of South Sudan sent economic shockwaves across Sudan from which the country is still recovering from. Instability and inflation have hampered Sudan’s economic growth.

Causes of Hunger

Conflict & Displacement

For years, Sudan has struggled with conflict. The most recent conflict, which began in April 2023, has created the worst displacement crisis in the world and one of the world’s largest hunger crises spanning Sudan, South Sudan and Chad. WFP has mobilized an immense emergency response to support families in Sudan and neighboring countries.
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Economic Shocks

When South Sudan seceded in 2011, Sudan’s economy lost a major source of oil revenue. As a result, inflation and high food prices sent millions of people deeper into hunger.
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Climate Extremes

Sudan faces recurring droughts and floods that destroy crops and force migration. The climate crisis has made these natural disasters more frequent and intense, pushing more families into extreme hunger.
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WFP provides assistance in Sudan

History of Hunger in Sudan

July 2011
South Sudan seceded from Sudan in a referendum vote. This sent a shock throughout the economy and increased poverty.
April 2023
Armed conflict between two military groups erupted in the capital and quickly spread throughout the country, forcing millions into displacement and hunger.
August 2024
After more than 15 months of war, famine is confirmed in Zamzam camp, home to hundreds of thousands of displaced people, in North Darfur.
December 2024
Famine is confirmed in more areas in North Darfur and the Western Nuba mountains.
November 2025
While food security has improved in areas where violence has subsided, famine has taken hold in two conflict-hit towns largely cut off from aid: El Fasher and Kadugli.

WFP’s Work in Sudan

WFP has been present in Sudan since 1963. We are the logistics backbone of the humanitarian response in the country and continue to provide emergency food assistance to people affected by the violent conflict.
Close up shot of WFP/USAID bag of sorghum, with porters in the background onloading trucks, along with the vessel in the background On 17 November, the vessel Ocean Venus docked in Port Sudan, carrying 47,740 metric tonnes of sorghum. This sorghum is a donation from the USAID Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance, largely through the Bill Emerson Humanitarian Trust (BEHT), an in-kind contribution equivalent to $80 million. The in-kind donation will provide food assistance to approximately 1 million food insecure people in Sudan. On 20 November, the US Ambassador to Sudan and WFP's Country Director Eddie Rowe visited Port Sudan to witness the discharge of the sorghum and to meet with the Sea Port Corporation. The donation comes at a critical time when food insecurity in Sudan is at an all time high, with an estimated 15 million people facing acute food insecurity (34% of the population).
Food Assistance
We provide food assistance to refugees, internally displaced people and other communities suffering from hunger.
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mother in blue turban holds child
Nutrition
We prevent and treat malnutrition for children under the age of 5 and pregnant or breastfeeding mothers.
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Sudan, Belail camp, 13 November 2018 In the Photo: Mariam carries her first green tray of fodder home. Many years ago, the conflict in Darfur forced Mariam Adam Mohamed and her family to flee their village in Serf Omra in search for safety. After a long journey, the family found its way to Belail camp. The camp has been home ever since. Some of Mariam's eight children were born in there. Not surprisingly, they are more familiar with life in the camp than in the village of their motherÕs origin. After she had fled, Mariam returned to her village only once to meet her parents, siblings and extended family. The project provides a safer environment for women like Mariam who raise animals at home. They can now avoid walking to collect fodder outside the camp, where they can be exposed to different types of violence, including theft, rape or even abduction. It also helps to reduce the potential for grazing land disputes that normally erupt during the lean season from July to December each year. "This project has helped unify and transform our community. We work together to clean trays and water the plants throughout the process. We even provide advice to each other regarding the well-being of our animals," says Mariam. Photo: WFP/Abdulaziz Abdulmomin Belail camp is home to some 28,000 people, including a mixture of internally displaced people (IDPs) and 4,000 South Sudanese refugees. While some had returned to South Sudan, many were forced back to the camp due to further conflict in 2013. Again, they sought shelter in the same camp, but this time and as Sudan was split into two countries — they are coming back as refugees. The World Food Programme (WFP) is finding new ways to engage women in the camp, beyond its traditional food assistance. More than 100 women are now benefiting from the newly introduced Hydroponics Project. WFP has been piloting this innovative, environmentally friendly project in the camp to help its residents grow plants without the need for
Small-Scale Farming
With tools and agricultural training, we help small-scale farmers to cut their post-harvest losses.
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Latest News From Sudan

  • News Release
  • November 12, 2025

New FAO-WFP Report Warns of Shrinking Window to Prevent Millions More People Facing Acute Food Insecurity in 16 Hotspots
People fleeing violence in El Fasher, arrive in Tawila
  • News Release
  • November 4, 2025

Famine Conditions Confirmed in Sudan’s El Fasher and Kadugli, but Hunger and Malnutrition Ease Where Conflict Subsides

People flee violence in El Fasher
  • News Release
  • October 23, 2025

IOM, UNHCR, UNICEF and WFP Urge Immediate Action to Address Escalating Humanitarian Crisis in Sudan

Farhia Ali and her daughter Ruqiya at a health clinic in Mogadishu.
  • News Release
  • October 15, 2025

WFP Warns That Six Critical Operations Are Facing Significant Food Aid Pipeline Breaks by Year-End

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