Sudan is in a hunger crisis, with over 750,000 people at risk of “catastrophic” food scarcity, according to UN global hunger data.
Over half the African country’s population will likely experience high levels of “acute food insecurity” between June and September 2024.
The UN defines food insecurity as a potentially life threatening lack of access to food.
It comes after more than a year of conflict between Sudanese military factions.
Conflict in Sudan
In April 2023, civil war broke out in Sudan between two rival military factions — the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
More than 8.6 million people have been displaced amid ongoing violence, according to the UN Refugee Agency. This includes more than 2 million people who have fled to neighbouring countries.
The conflict has intensified existing issues including food shortages, disease outbreaks, economic and political instability and climate emergencies.
Latest data
The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) is a tool that measures the risk of food insecurity across five phases: Minimal, stressed, crisis, emergency and catastrophe.
According to the latest IPC analysis, more than half of the Sudanese population will experience either crisis, emergency or catastrophic levels of food insecurity over the coming months.
More than 530,000 refugees are expected to be among those worst hit by the region’s food shortages.
Sudan’s hunger crisis
The latest IPC analysis marks a “rapid deterioration” of Sudan’s food security, compared to the previous update from December 2023.
In the past six months, the number of people facing high levels of acute food insecurity has increased by 45%.
This includes a 74% increase in those classified as being in the second most severe ‘emergency’ phase.
UN response
The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) is a UN hunger-prevention agency.
Rein Paulsen from the FAO’s Office of Emergencies and Resilience said 14 areas of Sudan are at risk of famine, “affecting both residents, internally displaced people and refugees.”
Paulsen said that if the conflict in Sudan escalates further, it will disrupt “mobility, humanitarian assistance, access to markets and livelihood activities.”
