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The United States and 30 other Western nations have issued a warning regarding a severe deterioration in food security across Sudan. The coalition urged the opposing sides of the ongoing civil war to eliminate barriers preventing humanitarian aid delivery in order to avert widespread famine.
Escalating Hunger and Displacement
According to a joint statement released by the signatories, the armed conflict serves as the primary catalyst for the nation’s hunger crisis. The fighting has severely damaged vital infrastructure and disrupted agricultural production.
Yusuf Roble, the regional director for Islamic Relief East Africa, told BBC Newsday that people returning to Omdurman are discovering their homes either destroyed or looted, noting that residents have very little left to survive on. The ongoing war, which commenced in April 2023, has resulted in the displacement of 14 million people.
The joint declaration was signed by the United Kingdom, Canada, Switzerland, Norway, European Union member states, and the United States. The US State Department published the document on Monday following its initial release on the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations website.
Acute Food Insecurity and Funding Shortages
Estimates within the statement indicate that 19.5 million people, representing 41 percent of Sudan’s total population, currently experience high levels of acute food insecurity. This figure includes five million individuals facing emergency levels of hunger.
Roble highlighted the personal toll of the crisis by sharing the account of a mother of seven whose husband, the sole financial provider for the household, has been missing for three and a half years.
While the World Health Organization characterizes the situation in Sudan as the worst humanitarian crisis globally, Roble reported that only 40 percent of the country’s humanitarian needs plan for 2026 had received funding as of September. He explained that affected families rely on community kitchens for meals, though these facilities lack long-term support due to ongoing funding reductions.
Obstruction of Aid and Climate Impacts
The Western coalition warned that the number of children suffering from severe acute malnutrition could surpass the projected 825,000 without immediate intervention. The situation is further aggravated by the systematic obstruction of assistance by the warring factions, alongside the impacts of El Niño, which has diminished rainfall and heightened drought conditions across more than half of the country.
The statement asserts that the parties involved in the conflict hold primary responsibility for reducing the hardship experienced by the Sudanese population. It calls upon them to remove all impediments to aid and permit full, safe, rapid, and unhindered access.
The civil war erupted in April 2023 stemming from a power struggle between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.
In June, a UN-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification assessment estimated that 5.1 million people in Sudan were experiencing severe hunger.
