United Nations-backed monitors say famine is spreading in North Darfur, western Sudan, as malnutrition rises amid the country’s ongoing war.
The UN’s Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) — the tool used by the Food and Agriculture Organization to assess food crises — reported that famine thresholds for acute malnutrition have been surpassed in the contested border areas of Um Baru and Kernoi. The IPC said malnutrition in Um Baru was nearly double the famine threshold and warned that such rates indicate increased risk of excess mortality and raise the possibility that nearby areas face similar catastrophic conditions.
Sudan has endured severe food insecurity since fighting erupted in April 2023 between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The conflict has killed tens of thousands, displaced nearly 11 million people, and produced what has been described as the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.
Humanitarian access across much of Sudan remains severely restricted. The IPC noted that the remaining population in el-Fasher town is largely inaccessible and that escalating clashes along the Sudan–Chad border threaten the supply route from Chad, risking aid cuts to millions in Greater Darfur. The situation worsened after the RSF captured el-Fasher, North Darfur’s capital, in October following an 18-month siege. The takeover and the resulting mass displacement have driven up acute food insecurity and malnutrition. After el-Fasher fell, reports emerged of mass killings, abductions and sexual violence; the UN says at least 127,000 people fled to nearby towns.
The IPC had earlier confirmed famine conditions in el-Fasher and in Kadugli, the capital of South Kordofan. It now warns famine may spread to as many as 20 additional areas across Darfur and Kordofan. Kordofan has become a major battleground in the RSF–army fight; around 88,000 people have been displaced there since October, and Kadugli has been besieged for much of the war. In South Kordofan’s town of Kouik, a reported RSF strike on a hospital killed 22 people and wounded eight, with medical groups saying the attack is part of wider assaults that have left several hospitals inoperable.
The UN estimates nearly half of Sudan’s population — more than 21 million people — are facing acute food insecurity. The IPC adds that 4.2 million people are at risk of acute malnutrition this year, underscoring a deepening, life-threatening humanitarian emergency. Edited by: Jenipher Camino Gonzalez