Famine continues to spread across war-torn Sudan, with the situation expected to worsen in the coming months, a UN-backed report warned on Tuesday.
Refugee camps and displaced communities are among the hardest hit by the crisis.
The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), which supports UN agencies, confirmed that famine has already reached two displacement camps in western Sudan and parts of the south.
The alarming development follows 20 months of relentless fighting between the General Abdel Fattah al Burhan’s army and the Rapid Support Forces, led by competing generals.
Since April 2023, the conflict has claimed tens of thousands of lives and displaced more than 12 million people, creating what the United Nations describes as the world’s largest displacement crisis.
As of this week, the IPC reports that 638,000 people face catastrophic hunger, with an additional 8.1 million on the brink of famine.
The crisis is most severe in the Darfur region, where famine conditions have been reported in three camps, including Zamzam, which was declared in August.
Displaced communities in the Nuba Mountains and southern Kordofan are also grappling with widespread hunger.
Looking ahead, the IPC projects that between December and May, 24.6 million people, or about half of Sudan’s population, will experience “high levels of acute food insecurity.”
It marks an unprecedented escalation in the country’s food and nutrition crisis.
The UN’s World Food Programme has noted that areas of intense conflict, such as Khartoum and Al-Jazira, may already be experiencing famine conditions.
However, access limitations have hindered an official classification in these areas.
