New York, May 15 (SANA) Three United Nations agencies issued a joint warning on Friday regarding the worsening hunger crisis in Sudan, stating the country is on the brink of a major humanitarian tragedy unless urgent international action is taken.
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the World Food Programme (WFP), and the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) confirmed that approximately 19.5 million people now suffer from critical food insecurity. The figures are based on the latest report from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC).
WFP Executive Director Cindy McCain warned that severe hunger and malnutrition threaten millions of lives, calling for immediate global intervention. The IPC report highlighted that 14 regions within Darfur and South Kordofan are at risk of outright famine if conflict escalates or aid access further deteriorates. It noted that 135,000 individuals are already experiencing catastrophic hunger levels.
Children remain the most severely affected demographic. The IPC estimates that 825,000 children under the age of five will suffer from acute malnutrition in 2026, representing a 7% increase compared to 2025. UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell stressed that local health facilities are completely overwhelmed and warned of a surging child mortality rate without swift intervention.
Sudan has been gripped by a continuous conflict since mid-April 2023 between the Sudanese Army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which has resulted in tens of thousands of casualties, displaced millions, and triggered a widespread humanitarian crisis across the country.
KhA
