In brief
The US and a coalition of 30 Western states have issued an urgent warning that the civil war in Sudan is driving the country toward famine. They urge the warring parties to remove obstacles to aid, citing that 19.5 million people are at high risk of food insecurity and 5 million are in emergency hunger. The joint statement highlights the war’s destruction of infrastructure and the worsening drought driven by El Niño. With only 40% of projected aid funding secured, the partners demand immediate action before more children suffer severe malnutrition.
The US and 30 other Western states have warned of an "alarming deterioration" in food security in Sudan, urging the warring sides in the civil war to remove obstacles to humanitarian aid to prevent famine.
In a joint statement, the signatories said that conflict was the main driver of Sudan’s hunger crisis, damaging critical infrastructure and disrupting food production.
'There is very little to survive on,' said Yusuf Roble, regional director for Islamic Relief East Africa, describing how people returning to Omdurman found their homes destroyed or looted. The war, which began in April 2023, has displaced 14 million people.
The statement, published by the US State Department after first appearing on the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations website, was signed by EU states, the UK, Canada, Switzerland, Norway, and the US. Full statement.
It estimates that 19.5 million people, or 41% of Sudan’s population, are experiencing high levels of acute food insecurity, including five million facing emergency levels of hunger.
Roble added that only 40% of Sudan’s 2026 humanitarian needs plan had been funded as of September, and that meals from the community kitchen lack long‑term support due to funding cuts.
The joint statement warns that "the number of children suffering from severe acute malnutrition could exceed the projected 825,000" without immediate action. It also highlights systematic obstruction of aid and the effects of El Niño, which has increased drought across more than half the country.
"The parties to the conflict bear primary responsibility for alleviating the suffering of the Sudanese people," the statement says, urging them to lift all impediments to humanitarian assistance and allow full, safe, rapid and unimpeded access.
In June, the UN-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification estimated that 5.1 million people in Sudan faced severe hunger. The civil war began in April 2023 following a power struggle between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces.
