Sudan’s humanitarian crisis deepens as famine spreads and aid funding falls

Sudan is facing the world’s largest humanitarian crisis, with more than 14 million people forced from their homes as disease spreads and famine takes hold. The country descended into chaos in April 2023 after a violent power struggle erupted between the Sudanese military and the Rapid Support Forces, triggering full-scale war across Khartoum and multiple regions. Rights groups are urging all parties to halt the fighting as conditions worsen.

World Food Programme (WFP) deputy executive director Carl Skau appealed for urgent international attention, stressing the need for a ceasefire or at least a humanitarian pause. “That’s where we need the world’s attention right now… so that we can deliver, we can save lives, and start building a ground for a more lasting peace,” he said, calling on regional and global powers to use their leverage to end the conflict.

The WFP warns that more than 20 million people in Sudan are now facing severe food insecurity as war devastates communities. Famine is already unfolding in El-Fasher and in Kadugli in South Kordofan.

Skau described a global “perfect storm” of soaring needs, diminishing resources, and rising danger for aid workers. Despite reaching more than four million people each month in Sudan, the WFP says the scale of the crisis remains overwhelming, with millions still desperate for food and safety.