Famine is deepening across Sudan’s western Darfur region, UN-backed experts have warned, as fighting continues to cut off food supplies and humanitarian aid.
War between General Abdel Fattah al Burhan’s army and Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which erupted in April 2023, has killed tens of thousands and displaced millions across the country.
According to an alert from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), famine-level thresholds for acute malnutrition have been breached in parts of North Darfur.
The worst-hit areas include the contested towns of Um Baru and Kernoi near the Chadian border, where hunger has reached catastrophic levels.
Experts said the surge in malnutrition raises fears of rising death rates and suggests famine conditions may be spreading to neighbouring areas.
Both sides in the conflict have repeatedly been accused of atrocities in a war that has shattered Sudan’s social and economic fabric.
Across Darfur, access for aid agencies remains severely restricted, leaving malnourished children untreated and communities trapped between violence and hunger.
More than 21 million people in Sudan now face acute food insecurity, with nearly half the population struggling to survive a deepening national catastrophe.
