A senior UN official has warned that Sudan continues to face the world’s largest hunger and displacement crisis, with 20 million people suffering from acute hunger and 14 million displaced, cautioning that funding shortages could force UN aid agencies to drastically scale back operations in the coming weeks.
At the conclusion of an eight-day visit to Sudan, Acting Director of UN World Food Programme (WFP) Carl Skau said around five million people are facing Emergency levels of hunger, classified under Phase 4 of the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), while around 200,000 people are experiencing Phase 5 levels, which is Famine. Reaching those in need has also become extremely difficult, he explained, noting that a journey from El Obeid to El Fasher that took about six hours before the war required three days now.
He added that humanitarian workers are unable to cross front lines to reach communities on the other side.
He explained that conditions in El Fasher are exceptionally harsh, noting that the city, which once had a population of around one million and served as a major regional capital, has endured 18 months of siege, including famine and indescribable atrocities.
He noted that some conditions have improved, with better shelter provision, including plastic sheeting and tarpaulins requested by women to protect their families from the rain. WFP has also expanded its operations, currently reaching about 950,000 people in El Fasher each month. However, aid remains insufficient.
According to the UN official, families receive only half-rations, providing enough food for about two weeks. Furthermore, many households are headed by women who have lost their husbands or sons, amid severe shortages of education, healthcare, shelter, and safe play spaces for children.
He pointed out that drought is intensifying pressure on the population, explaining that Darfur has not witnessed such drought since 1984, despite the current period being the rainy season, highlighting local communities' fears regarding its impact on agriculture and livestock.
Despite the risks, Skau said WFP continues to reach between 4 and 5 million people each month, including between 2 and 2.5 million in hard-to-reach areas.
He emphasized that the greatest obstacle currently facing the Programme 's operations is a lack of funding, warning that the agency may be forced to substantially scale down operations in the coming weeks if additional resources are not secured.