The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification warned Sudan’s food and malnutrition crisis is worsening catastrophically amid war and restricted humanitarian access.
In an urgent alert, the initiative said 33.7 million people, nearly two-thirds of Sudan’s population, will need aid in 2026.
Famine has spread to several regions, now exceeding famine thresholds.
Um Buru recorded an acute malnutrition rate of 52.9 percent, almost double the internationally recognised famine benchmark.
Ongoing fighting has displaced about 9.6 million people and left more than 21 million facing severe acute food insecurity.
Markets and supply routes have been targeted, shattering distribution chains and deepening hunger across vast swathes of the country.
The initiative warned acute malnutrition cases could reach 4.2 million in 2026 without immediate and decisive intervention.
It said 20 additional areas in Darfur and Kordofan risk sliding into famine unless urgent action is taken.
More than a third of Sudan’s health facilities have stopped functioning amid insecurity, bureaucracy, and a severe funding shortfall.
The IPC stressed famine conditions may persist or return in El Fasher and Kadugli, despite earlier projections suggesting temporary reprieve.
The initiative called for an end to hostilities, protection of civilians, and safe, sustained, unimpeded humanitarian access nationwide.
Based on data through January 27, 2026, the alert seeks urgent action, not formal classification, as Sudan’s crisis deepens.
