The agencies call for an end to hostilities and safe, unimpeded and sustained humanitarian access, which is urgently needed to prevent further loss of life and protect livelihoods.

The latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) Special Snapshot confirms that by September 2025, acute food insecurity had slightly improved with an estimated 21.2 million – 45 percent of the population – facing high levels of acute food insecurity (IPC3+). An estimated 3.4 million people are no longer facing crisis levels of hunger (IPC3+) compared to the previous analysis (December 2024 to May 2025).

These improvements follow a gradual stabilisation since May 2025 in Khartoum, Al Jazirah and Sennar states, where conflict has eased. Families are returning home, markets are reopening, and there is more consistent access for commercial and humanitarian supplies. But these gains are limited; the wider crisis has shattered the economy and vital services, and much of the infrastructure people rely on has been damaged or destroyed.

Good conditions for agriculture are also expected after the harvest and into 2026, with crisis levels of hunger improving to19.3 million (October 2025 to January 2026).

However, these fragile improvements are highly localised. Many families returning to Khartoum and Al Jazirah have lost everything and will struggle to benefit fully from the harvest. Meanwhile, in the western regions of Sudan – notably North Darfur, South Darfur, West Kordofan and South Kordofan – active conflict and severely restricted access is driving a sharp deterioration in hunger and malnutrition.

From February 2026, hunger is expected to worsen as food stocks run out and fighting continues. IPC figures remain largely unchanged because conditions are too volatile to predict outcomes for around 841,000 people in the hardest-hit areas, including El Fasher, Kadugli, Dilling and parts of South Kordofan.

“Despite the immense challenges, FAO and its partners remain committed to supporting communities wherever access allows,” said Rein Paulsen, FAO’s Director of Emergencies and Resilience. “Seeds, tools and livestock are lifelines for millions of Sudanese farmers and herders. Restoring access and enabling local food production are essential to saving lives and protecting livelihoods.”

Famine confirmed in besieged El Fasher and Kadugli

According to the Famine Review Committee (FRC), famine conditions (IPC Phase 5 – with reasonable evidence) are occurring in El Fasher in North Darfur and Kadugli in South Kordofan – towns largely cut off by conflict from commercial supplies and humanitarian assistance. These areas had been classified as IPC Phase 4 (Emergency) in 2024. Famine thresholds for food consumption, acute malnutrition and mortality have now been surpassed.

Conditions in Dilling, South Kordofan, are likely similar to Kadugli, but cannot be classified due to insufficient reliable data – a result of restricted humanitarian access and ongoing hostilities.

In the Western Nuba Mountains, conditions have shown marginal improvement, prompting a shift from Risk of Famine to IPC Phase 4 (Emergency). However, the risk of famine remains high if humanitarian access does not improve.

The FRC projects a risk of famine in 20 additional areas across Greater Darfur and Greater Kordofan, including rural localities and displacement camps. This includes several new locations in East Darfur and South Kordofan.

Nutrition emergency drives child deaths

Global Acute Malnutrition (GAM) rates from screening data are alarmingly high, ranging from 38 to 75 percent in El Fasher and reaching 29 percent in Kadugli, according to the IPC.

Meanwhile, outbreaks of cholera, malaria and measles continue to rise in areas where health, water and sanitation systems have collapsed, further increasing the risk of death among malnourished children.

“The deadly combination of hunger, disease and displacement is placing millions of children at risk,” said Lucia Elmi, UNICEF Director of Emergency Operations. “Among them, girls often bear the brunt facing increased risks of malnutrition, gender-based violence, and being pulled out of school. Therapeutic food, safe water, and essential medicines and health services can save lives, but only if we can reach children in time. We urgently need parties to abide by their obligations under international law and to provide humanitarian actors with safe, timely and unhindered access to children.”

Humanitarian access and funding are critical

Across all critically affected regions, the drivers of hunger are clear: conflict, displacement and blocked humanitarian access. In El Fasher and Kadugli, people have endured months without reliable access to food or medical care. Markets have collapsed and prices of staple goods have soared.

“WFP has made hard-won gains and is now reaching more than 4 million people each month with vital food assistance,” said Ross Smith, WFP’s Director of Emergencies. “We see what’s possible when we can delivery vital aid: families rebuild, markets revive, and children get the food they need to survive. But conflict still decides who eats and who does not. Too many communities are being pushed into starvation simply because we cannot reach them. We need additional funding and sustained, unhindered access — now — to stop famine from spreading.”

UNICEF, WFP and FAO are prioritizing the hardest-hit areas with integrated food, nutrition, health, WASH, protection and agricultural and livestock health support. But access remains inconsistent, and humanitarian workers and supplies are frequently targeted, while aid convoys face delays, denials and security threats.

Without safe, sustained access, adequate funding and an end to violence, famine will continue to claim lives in Sudan.