Conflict, drought increasing risk of famine in Sudan: Monitor

What the report says

A global food security monitor says conflict and drought are deepening the risk of famine in Sudan, especially in the western Darfur region and in parts of Kordofan. Al Jazeera reported that the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, or IPC, warned on Monday that an El Nino-linked drought is affecting about half of the country and is worsening the impact of war, displacement, high prices and falling food availability.

The IPC said healthcare access is extremely limited, clean water is becoming scarcer and already vulnerable communities face greater exposure to disease and death. It also said farming conditions have deteriorated, with poor vegetation growth affecting large areas of cropland and severe water shortages limiting recovery. The monitor noted worsening acute malnutrition in several places, including Nyala, and said some displacement camps in South Darfur have crossed famine-level thresholds for global acute malnutrition.

According to Al Jazeera, the warning comes as Sudan’s war, which began in April 2023 between the army and the Rapid Support Forces, continues to split control of the country. The conflict has caused mass displacement and widespread destruction, with the hardest-hit areas including Darfur, where aid access and civilian protection remain major concerns. The report underscores how prolonged fighting and drought are combining to push more people toward severe hunger.