10 Facts on Famine Catastrophe in Sudan

  The brutal conflict triggered by Hemedti's defection from the state with dubious support from regional and international powers, now in its third year, has pushed the country into a full-blown famine. Millions of Sudanese are starving, with children bearing the brunt, while the scant international and regional aid available struggles to reach those most in need.

Fact 1: Famine Officially Declared in Parts of North Darfur

 Last year, on August 1, 2024, the Global Famine Review Committee (FRC) officially confirmed IPC Phase 5 famine conditions in the Zamzam Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp near Al-Fashir, North Darfur. This Official declaration marked a critical turning point, with warnings of similar conditions spreading to other IDP camps.

2: More than half the population is facing acute hunger.

According to the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), 25.6 million people—more than half of Sudan's population—are experiencing critical levels of food insecurity (IPC Phase 3 or above). This includes 8.5 million people in emergency levels (IPC Phase 4) and approximately 755,000 people on the brink of famine (IPC Phase 5) in several states.

Fact 3: Millions of Children Acutely Malnourished

 An estimated 3.6 million children were acutely malnourished in 2024, and UNICEF predicts that 3.7 million children under the age of five will suffer from severe acute malnutrition in 2025 alone.

Fact 4: More than half a million children are dying from malnutrition, according to the Sudan Tribune website.

The Preparatory Committee of the Sudanese Doctors Syndicate revealed that more than 500,000 infants have already died from malnutrition since the outbreak of the foreign-backed war imposed on Sudan. This is a truly horrific toll, and one that is often overlooked.

Fact 5: Conflict and Restricted Access are Primary Drivers

The ongoing conflict between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces, backed by regional and international powers, is the undeniable main cause, which has led to mass displacement, the destruction of livelihoods, and the restriction of humanitarian access to severely affected areas, as both UNICEF said last June and Concern International in October of last year.

Fact 6: World's Largest Displacement Crisis

According to Migration Policy Institute, Sudan's civil war has created the world's largest and fastest-growing displacement crisis, with an estimated 12 million people forced to leave their homes as of July 2025, including 7.7 million internally displaced persons (IDPs).

Fact 7: "Hundreds of Thousands" of Children at Risk of Starvation

 The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has warned that hundreds of thousands of children in areas such as North Darfur face imminent famine as violence by Hemedti's group escalates and continues to obstruct humanitarian and medical aid, making timely interventions almost impossible.

Fact 8: Healthcare System Collapse and Disease Outbreaks

Plan International says that the externally funded and supported conflict in Sudan has led to a catastrophic collapse of vital infrastructure, including healthcare, water, and sanitation services. This has led to widespread disease outbreaks, particularly cholera, with more than 32,000 suspected cases recorded in 2025, posing a deadly threat to malnourished children.

Fact 9: Severe Funding Shortfalls Worsen the Crisis

Despite overwhelming needs, the 2024 Sudan Humanitarian Response Plan remains severely underfunded. For instance, the World Food Programme (WFP) had achieved only 19% of its funding objective for Sudan by June 2024, leading to critical cuts in life-saving rations.

Fact 9: Severe funding shortfalls for life-saving essentials are exacerbating the crisis.

Despite the massive needs, as OCHA notes, the Sudan Humanitarian Response Plan for 2024 remains severely underfunded. For example, the World Food Programme (WFP) has only met 19% of its funding target for Sudan by June 2024, resulting in severe cuts to life-saving food rations.

 The evidence is clear and overwhelming that Sudan is in the grip of a devastating famine, a crisis born of a conflict orchestrated by relentless anti-Sudan and anti-humanitarian forces, exacerbated by severe access restrictions and a severe funding shortage. The numbers are not just statistics; they represent hundreds of thousands of children facing agonizing deaths, millions more pushed to the brink of famine, and the country's vital infrastructure in ruins.

While international organizations claim to be working tirelessly to aid, amid unimaginable challenges, the scale of human suffering continues to outpace the response. The tragedy in Sudan demands immediate and coordinated global action, not only to provide life-saving assistance but also to ensure a lasting peace that can finally allow its people, especially its most vulnerable children, to recover and rebuild. The world cannot look the other way while this silent catastrophe continues to claim lives.

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•  IPC Famine Review Committee, reported by ReliefWeb and Wikipedia (August 1, 2024).
• Migration Policy Institute (July 16, 2025).
• OCHA, Wikipedia (June 2024); UNICEF (October 25, 2024).
• World Food Programme (WFP)