Sudan Faces Rising Famine Risk Due To War And Drought

A global hunger monitoring group warns that war and severe drought are pushing millions of people in Sudan toward famine.

On Tuesday 13 October 2026, a new global alert warned that the risk of famine is rising fast in Sudan. The warning came from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (the global system used by the United Nations and aid agencies to measure hunger). Over three years of brutal conflict have combined with a severe El Nino-driven drought (a natural climate pattern that causes low rainfall and dry weather) to create a catastrophic situation. The alert stated that acute malnutrition among children is already above the famine threshold in two camps for displaced people in South Darfur, where child death rates have reached emergency levels. Harvests across Sudan are expected to be very poor, food stocks are running down, and prices are climbing rapidly. More than 300,000 people have been displaced in Greater Kordofan since late 2025, and West Kordofan faces one of its worst droughts since 2004 along with a dangerous cholera outbreak (an infectious disease causing severe watery diarrhoea and dehydration).

Why it matters

Ordinary families, workers, and children are bearing the heaviest burden of this man-made and natural crisis. The war in Sudan began in April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces (the country's official military) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (an armed force operating outside the regular military). The paramilitary forces and their allies currently dominate most of Darfur and parts of Kordofan. Years of conflict have destroyed livelihoods and basic infrastructure, leaving the population defenceless against climate shocks. Aid groups warn that conflict means weather disasters bring immediate hunger. In El Obeid, drone damage to water facilities leaves the supply able to meet only about 20 per cent of the city's needs. Families now have to queue for hours just to get clean water. When warring parties destroy civilian infrastructure and block aid, ordinary mothers and fathers are left powerless to feed their children. Who answers for the safety and survival of millions of displaced civilians trapped in these active conflict zones?

Key facts

• More than 5 million people already face emergency levels of hunger across Sudan.

• About 825,000 children under five are expected to suffer severe acute malnutrition.

• More than 300,000 people have been displaced in Greater Kordofan since late 2025.

• Tawila, a town in North Darfur, already shelters more than 650,000 displaced people.

• Drone damage in El Obeid leaves water supply meeting only 20 per cent of needs.

What's next

Richard Data, Sudan country director of the International Rescue Committee, an aid group, said: "In Sudan, years of conflict mean El Nino brings hunger immediately." Tawila could now see a new wave of families arriving, putting even more pressure on scarce food and water. Aid agencies are urgently calling on international donors to scale up funding to prevent mass starvation. They are also demanding that both warring sides allow safe and unhindered humanitarian access to deliver food and medicine to vulnerable populations. As the threat of widespread famine looms larger, the international community must ask whether enough is being done to protect civilians caught in the crossfire. Will global leaders compel the warring factions to stop fighting and let aid reach the starving children before it is too late?