The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) announced it reached four million people in Sudan with food assistance in March — the highest monthly figure since conflict erupted in April 2023. However, the agency warns that the deepening hunger crisis continues to outpace humanitarian efforts.
Speaking at a UN press briefing in Geneva, WFP Emergency Coordinator for Sudan, Samantha Chattaraj, said the March aid included 1.6 million people in areas already experiencing or at risk of famine.
“In the past month alone, we supported 80 percent of the people in the most critical hunger zones across 27 localities,” Chattaraj said, adding that the crisis in Sudan remains one of the world’s most complex and urgent humanitarian emergencies.
The WFP estimates that nearly 25 million people — roughly half the country’s population — are facing acute food insecurity. Among them are around 5 million children and breastfeeding mothers suffering from severe malnutrition.
“Sudan is currently the only country in the world with a confirmed famine,” Chattaraj stated.
The agency is targeting to reach seven million people by mid-2025, focusing on regions classified under IPC Phase 4 (Emergency) and areas already hit by famine. But this goal hinges on immediate international support.
To maintain and expand its operations between May and October, the WFP says it requires an additional US$698 million. Without this funding, the agency warns it may have to reduce food rations, cut the number of people it can support, and scale back aid coverage.
“If we don’t receive this support, our ability to help seven million people is seriously threatened,” Chattaraj warned.
Sudan has been gripped by conflict since April 15, 2023, when clashes erupted between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The fighting has claimed over 20,000 lives and displaced at least 15 million people, according to the UN. Some independent estimates put the death toll much higher, at around 130,000.