Over eight million in Sudan on brink of famine, says UN-backed analysis
Half the population of Sudan is facing severe levels of hunger after 20 months of a devastating conflict between the national army and a paramilitary group, a UN-backed analysis announced on Tuesday.
According to the Famine Review Committee (FRC), an independent technical body that reviews the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) for famine classifications, food insecurity in Sudan is worse than previous projections.
The IPC is a multi-partner initiative backed by the UN that governments, UN agencies, and non-government organisations use to measure the scale of acute malnutrition and food insecurity and raise alarms about potential famine situations.
An estimated 24.6 million people in Sudan are projected to face severe levels of acute food insecurity between December and May, according to the FRC analysis.
The analysis evaluates data from the ground against a five-phase metric: phase three constitutes a food crisis, phase four an emergency and phase five a catastrophe or famine.
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Famine has been detected in at least five areas, the analysis said, with projections indicating that five additional areas will face famine between December 2024 and May 2025. There is also a risk of famine in 17 additional areas.
According to the report, the latest data indicate a staggering rise of 3.5 million people compared to previous forecasts.
The data includes about 15.9 million people (33 percent) in IPC Phase 3 (Crisis), 8.1 million people (17 percent) in IPC Phase 4 (Emergency) and at least 638,000 people (1 percent) in IPC Phase 5 (Catastrophe).
Famine - first detected in August 2024 in Zamzam camp, North Darfur state - has continued and expanded to al-Salam and Abu Shouk camps and the western Nuba Mountains between October and November 2024, according to the report.
Meanwhile, between December 2024 and May 2025, famine is projected to expand in North Darfur localities, including Um Kadadah, Melit, el-Fasher, At Tawisha and al-Lait.
There is also a risk of famine in the central Nuba Mountains, including in Delami, Western Kadugli, Um Durein and al-Buram localities, and in areas likely to experience high influxes of internally displaced people in North and South Darfur.
These include Tawila, Nyala Janoub, Nyala Shimal, Beliel, Shattaya, As Sunta, Buram and Kas in South Darfur, as well as Medani al-Kubra and Sharg al-Jazira in al-Jazira state, Mayo and Alingaz in Jebel – Awilia, Khartoum state and al-Firdous in East Darfur state.
Commenting on the report's findings, Sudan humanitarian director at Save the Children, Mary Lupul, said the projections are alarming for children and could have been prevented.
"This latest report is terrifying and a failure of the global system," she said.
"When famine is declared, it is already too late for many. Children are famine's first victims and are already facing avoidable and excruciating deaths due to malnutrition and disease. Without immediate action now, we will see more young lives lost.
"The expansion of famine to additional areas highlights the international community's failure to respond with the urgency and scale this crisis demands. Timely action can save lives."
Since April 2023, the fighting between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has displaced more than 11 million people and caused a spiralling humanitarian crisis.
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