War, severe drought and restricted access to aid are deepening Sudan’s food crisis. According to UN News, a warning issued on 12 October 2026 by the IPC — the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, an international system for assessing food insecurity — points to a growing risk of famine in parts of Greater Darfur and Greater Kordofan. Findings on malnutrition among children displaced by the conflict are particularly concerning.
The IPC’s Famine Review Committee describes a rapidly deteriorating situation, but says there is too little data for a full analysis. The warning is therefore not a formal confirmation of famine across Darfur or Kordofan. It does, however, highlight the severity of the threat in the places surveyed and the difficulties in getting support to residents.
Alarming findings among children
In two camps for displaced people in eastern Jebel Marra, South Darfur, acute malnutrition was found in 38% and 30.8% of the children surveyed. According to UN News, both figures exceed the malnutrition threshold used in famine assessments. These findings concern the populations surveyed in the camps, not all children in the region; this indicator alone does not formally confirm famine.
Other surveys also show the scale of the problem. UN News reports that 13 of the 17 nutrition surveys conducted in Greater Darfur since January found critical levels of acute malnutrition. In Nyala, the proportion of children seeking nutritional support who needed treatment for severe acute malnutrition rose from 5% in January to 11% in August.
Rain arrived too late, while aid remains limited
A drought linked to El Niño is compounding the effects of the war. According to the warning, it affects more than half of Sudan, while 64% of cropland in North Darfur shows poor plant growth. The IPC said rains arrived in late September, too late to save most cereal crops.
Meanwhile, the conflict continues to force people from their homes. According to UN News, more than 300,000 people have been displaced in Greater Kordofan since October 2025. Aid organisations face security threats and restricted access, while a lack of funding further limits their capacity. As of 8 October, less than half of the humanitarian appeal for Sudan had been funded.
The IPC warning calls for an end to the fighting and safe, sustained access for aid organisations, particularly in North and West Kordofan. It also urges large-scale, flexible funding, as rising food needs and malnutrition coincide with crop losses and further displacement.
