One year into Sudan’s war, its people yearn for peace amid soaring hunger
Story | 12 April 2024
Emergency
The war in Sudan risks triggering the world’s largest hunger crisis. An immediate ceasefire is needed to prevent a complete collapse in Sudan and further regional destabilization as millions flee into neighbouring countries.
As conflict rages, 18 million people face acute hunger in Sudan. Of these, nearly 5 million are in emergency levels of hunger. This is the highest number ever recorded during the harvest season.
Around 90 percent of those in emergency are in areas where access is extremely limited due to heavy fighting and restrictions. Without assistance, there is a high risk they could slip into catastrophe. We urgently require warring parties to grant unrestricted access to crisis-hit communities. We need cross-border humanitarian corridors and freedom of movement across conflict lines.
Key drivers of food insecurity include intensified conflict and growing intercommunal violence, an economic crisis, soaring prices of food, fuel and essential goods, and below-average agricultural production.
Sudan also faces the worst displacement crisis in the world: 8.5 million people have been internally displaced since last April, and nearly 2 million have fled to surrounding nations, mainly Chad and South Sudan.
WFP supported 8 million people in Sudan in 2023. Funding shortfalls are also reducing the number of people we can support.