The World Food Programme warned on Monday that it may be forced to sharply reduce aid in Sudan in the coming weeks amid severe funding shortages, a worsening hunger and displacement crisis, and difficulties delivering relief to conflict zones. Acting Executive Director Carl Skau said at a press briefing that around 20 million people face acute hunger in Sudan, while about 14 million have been displaced by the conflict.
He added that nearly 200,000 people are experiencing catastrophic levels of food insecurity amounting to famine. Skau said the programme provides monthly aid to between 4 million and 5 million people, but has only one-third of the funding it needed compared with last year.
Security obstacles hinder aid deliveries
He called on donors to increase their contributions to enable the organisation to continue its operations and meet basic humanitarian needs. Relief operations face security and logistical obstacles, as one of the programme’s convoys was attacked about two weeks ago while heading to Dilling in Kordofan. Front lines and damaged roads also hinder aid deliveries to large areas.
The UN official said the overland journey between El Obeid in North Kordofan and El Fasher in North Darfur, which took about six hours before the war, now takes three days. He added that humanitarian missions must reach El Fasher via N'Djamena and Adré in Chad, then Jebel Marra in Darfur, because of fighting, exchanges of fire and restrictions on access to some locations.
Siege and displacement worsen Darfur crisis
Skau described conditions in El Fasher as extremely difficult, noting that the city had remained under siege for 18 months, with bullet and shelling damage visible throughout, while economic activity and trade had almost come to a halt and residents searched for food and water. He said conditions in Zamzam camp were worse than in El Fasher, with homes suffering extensive destruction after multiple attacks.
Drought and floods threaten agricultural production
Displaced people are particularly requesting plastic sheeting to protect shelter roofs from rain, as many have lost their homes and family members, especially women and children. The humanitarian crisis coincides with successive climate and agricultural shocks. Parts of Darfur suffered drought before rains turned into floods that damaged farms, while Skau warned that fertilizer shortages would affect agricultural production and crops in the coming months.
More than 1 million people also lack suitable places for education and lessons. In Kordofan and Blue Nile, Skau said fighting was intensifying, warning that it could spread to the outskirts of El Obeid, which had been considered a safe area, while its eight camps had become crowded with displaced families.
He called for stronger protection of civilians and an increased response to the needs of displaced people. The programme is seeking to support farmers and repair irrigation canals and farming tools to increase production and reduce commodity prices, while also returning children and students to school, including inside tents.
It also wants to expand humanitarian air transport services, which currently reach Khartoum, to include Darfur and El Obeid, while food airdrops are currently unavailable because of their cost. Skau also warned of the repercussions of disrupted shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait on Sudan, explaining that most aid, agricultural materials and energy supplies come from the Gulf region.
He also noted that the escalation in the Black Sea, an important source of grain and wheat, is increasing pressure on food security alongside climate shocks.
