According to the latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) analysis released on May 15, two out of every five people in Sudan are now experiencing severe hunger.

The crisis is tightening its grip as the civil conflict enters its fourth year.

While the latest analysis did not identify areas currently experiencing full-scale Famine (IPC Phase 5), conditions remain extremely concerning.

Approximately 135,000 people are facing catastrophic food insecurity (IPC Phase 5) across 14 hotspots in Darfur, South Darfur, and South Kordofan, leaving them at imminent risk of famine in the coming months.

The agencies also showed that more than five million people are classified under IPC Phase 4 (Emergency) and another 14 million people are in IPC Phase 3 (Crisis).

UN officials state that conditions are expected to deteriorate even further during the upcoming season between June and September.

The joint warning from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the World Food Programme (WFP), and UNICEF highlights a devastating toll on the country’s youngest population.

An estimated 825,000 children under five are expected to suffer from Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) in 2026. This represents a seven per cent increase compared to 2025 and is 25 per cent higher than pre-conflict levels recorded between 2021 and 2023.

The situation is already critical; between January and March this year alone, almost 100,000 children were admitted for emergency SAM treatment.

Extreme malnutrition remains concentrated in besieged areas and among internally displaced populations, with Um Baru and Kernoi localities having already recorded critical levels in December 2025, joint news release shows.

“Across Sudan, children are trapped in a crisis of persistent violence, hunger and disease,” said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell.

“Many families have been displaced multiple times. Children suffering from severe acute malnutrition arrive at overstretched facilities too weak to cry. Without urgent action and sustained humanitarian access, more children will die,” she added.

Conflict-driven displacement has reached unprecedented levels.

Close to nine million people were displaced within Sudan as of the end of March 2026. Many families remain trapped directly in active conflict zones, while others have fled to remote areas with little to no access to basic services or humanitarian aid.

The country's civilian infrastructure has faced widespread destruction.

Currently, around 40 per cent of Sudan's health facilities are non-functional. Massive shortages have left an estimated 17 million people without access to safe drinking water and 24 million people lacking adequate sanitation.

This collapse has triggered repeated outbreaks of cholera, measles, malaria, dengue, hepatitis, diphtheria, and diarrheal diseases, rapidly accelerating nutritional decline among young children, as well as pregnant and breastfeeding women.

“Famine continues to threaten the people of Sudan, as hunger and malnutrition are threatening millions of lives right now,” said WFP Executive Director, Cindy McCain.

“WFP has been on the ground responding and is ready to do more, but humanitarian agencies cannot solve this alone. The international community must move now with funding, access and the political will to stop this crisis from becoming an even greater tragedy,” he calls.

Humanitarian efforts are being choked by some of the most severe access constraints in the world. Insecurity, bureaucratic impediments, attacks along supply routes, and the destruction of local markets continue to prevent agencies from delivering aid at scale.

As of April 2026, only 20 per cent of Sudan’s 2026 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan had been funded.

While humanitarian partners aimed to reach 4.8 million people per month between February and May, resource and access gaps meant only an estimated 3.13 million people actually received assistance in February.

“To prevent further loss of life and starvation, we must urgently scale up emergency agricultural assistance to boost local food production.

Supporting vulnerable farming families with seeds, tools, and inputs is one of the fastest and most effective ways to restore access to nutritious food and reduce dependence on aid,” said QU Dongyu, FAO Director-General.