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Join on Telegram Doha – The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), a United Nations-backed global authority on food security, has sounded the alarm on the rapidly deteriorating food security and nutrition situation in Sudan, as the country grapples with escalating conflict.
In an alert released on March 29, 2024, the IPC warned that immediate action is necessary to prevent widespread death, total collapse of livelihoods, and avert a catastrophic hunger crisis in the war-torn nation.
The IPC’s December 2023 analysis had projected that between October 2023 and February 2024, a staggering 17.7 million people in Sudan (37% of the population) faced high levels of acute food insecurity (IPC Phase 3 or above), with 4.9 million (10%) in the Emergency phase (IPC Phase 4).
Humanitarian efforts to provide aid and conduct assessments are severely hampered by the prevalence of security risks, the presence of blockades on transportation routes, and the lack of safeguards for those involved in these operations.
Due to the intensification of the conflict, data gaps in hotspot areas, and connectivity challenges, the Sudan IPC Technical Working Group (TWG) has been unable to provide an updated analysis.
The latest alert, based on a review of the most recent available evidence, paints a grim picture of the situation in Sudan. The conflict has escalated significantly among armed factions, with organized violence spreading beyond the initial assumptions made in previous IPC analyses.
The densely populated central, southern, and western parts of Sudan are bearing the brunt of this violence, and with the onset of the lean season from April onwards, food insecurity and acute malnutrition are expected to reach catastrophic levels.
Khartoum and Gezira States, Greater Darfur, and Greater Kordofan are at the highest risk of facing dire consequences should the conflict continue to intensify, displacements persist, and humanitarian access remain limited or non-existent.
The situation is particularly alarming in North Darfur State, Khartoum States (including Omdurman locality), and areas in greater Darfur hosting Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in overcrowded camps.
Sudan currently has the world’s largest number of IDPs, with over 6.5 million displaced within the country and an additional 2 million seeking refuge in neighboring countries. The inability of populations trapped in high-conflict areas, such as Zamzam camp in El Fasher and some areas neighboring Khartoum, to relocate to safer locations is further exacerbated by high travel costs.
Humanitarian assistance, including food, nutrition, Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH), and health services, is severely hampered by a lack of funds. Only 45% of the Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) was funded in 2023, and a mere 5% has been funded in 2024. This, combined with poor humanitarian access in high-conflict areas, has left vulnerable populations in a precarious position.
The fighting has also had a devastating impact on the country’s primary crop production areas, with cereal production estimated to be 46% lower than the previous year. Yield reductions have reached up to 80% in Greater Kordofan and Greater Darfur, while West Darfur State has experienced complete crop failure due to insecurity during the planting season. Despite the relative functionality of markets, food prices have soared, reaching 73% higher than the same period last year and 350% above the five-year average.
The conflict has also taken a heavy toll on the country’s health infrastructure, with about 70% of health facilities in affected areas either non-functional, burnt down, or destroyed. This has further aggravated the risk of death for children from displacement and disease outbreaks, including measles, malaria, and cholera, which have already reached 11,000 cases.
As of March 2024, an estimated 4.86 million people in Sudan are acutely malnourished, including 3.66 million children under five and 1.2 million pregnant and lactating women. This represents an alarming 22% increase compared to the beginning of 2023.
The IPC’s message is clear: without an immediate cessation of hostilities and a significant deployment of humanitarian assistance, the population of Khartoum and Gezira States, Greater Darfur, and Greater Kordofan will face the worst levels of acute food insecurity and malnutrition during the upcoming lean season. The international community must act now to prevent widespread death and total collapse of livelihoods in Sudan.
The Sudan conflict, which began on April 15, 2023, between the Sudanese army (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), has left nearly 25 million people – which is half of Sudan’s population – in need of aid, with some 8 million having fled their homes, according to the United Nations, as reported by Reuters.
