Sudan: food insecurity reaches alarming levels

The agency estimates it still needs nearly $300 million to maintain its current operations.

This funding shortfall is already forcing the WFP to focus its assistance on about 5 million of the most vulnerable individuals. It reaches just over 4 million people each month, often with reduced rations.

The financial contraction comes at a time when access is improving in certain areas of Khartoum, Al-Jazira, and Sennar. The WFP reports that it is supporting more than 800,000 people per month in these regions where fighting has decreased. However, the agency has more operational opportunities but fewer resources to fully utilize them.

The lack of funding not only reduces food volumes but also impacts transportation, storage, humanitarian air services, emergency telecommunications, and the ability to pre-position supplies ahead of potential new outbreaks of violence.

Access is improving faster than available resources.

Physical obstacles remain significant. On August 30, two trucks carrying WFP aid to South Kordofan were attacked. More than 50 tons of food were destroyed, enough to assist approximately 5,800 people for a month. The WFP reports that it has recorded eight airstrikes damaging its facilities or disrupting its operations since the beginning of the year.

The agency estimates it needs $579 million to continue its operations until October 2026. This need pertains to the coming months, while the $206 million cited by Reuters reflects the resources received this year. In both cases, there remains a significant gap between needs and the funds actually mobilized.

A $5 million contribution announced by South Korea in early September illustrates what such funding can achieve. It is intended to cover emergency food assistance for 365,000 people and school meals for 23,000 children. The WFP plans to purchase 2,600 tons of sorghum and millet for emergency needs and an additional 500 tons for schools.

However, these contributions remain limited on a national scale. The IPC had already estimated that 135,000 people were in a state of catastrophe between February and May 2026. A risk of famine was identified in 14 areas of Darfur and Kordofan during the lean season, while projections from the FAO and WFP indicated that up to 200,000 people could fall into the most extreme phase between June and September.

The most threatened areas are also the most expensive to reach.

In Darfur and Kordofan, humanitarian agencies must contend with degraded roads, shifting front lines, fluctuating permissions, and direct attacks on operations. Delivering the same amount of aid there costs more than in more stable areas.

As a result, budget cuts do not lead to a uniform reduction in assistance. They primarily impact the most costly operations, forcing agencies to reduce rations or concentrate resources on a smaller number of beneficiaries.

The food crisis is exacerbated by population displacement. The UNHCR estimated in April that around 14 million people had been forced to flee since the onset of the war in 2023. Nearly 9 million remained displaced within Sudan, and approximately 4.4 million had crossed borders.

Available projections maintain an extreme alert level until early 2027 in parts of Darfur and Kordofan. The WFP must simultaneously fund food, transportation, warehouses, and air links necessary to reach populations in these areas.