Sudan Famine: In a nutrition ward at a hospital in Sudan’s war-stricken capital, gaunt mothers lie next to even thinner toddlers. A protracted famine is taking hold – the only place in the world at this level of hunger – and without humanitarian assistance, hundreds of thousands could die. Over 1 in 3 children are facing acute malnutrition.
KHARTOUM MARCH 20: In a nutrition ward at a hospital in Sudan’s war-stricken capital, gaunt mothers lie next to even thinner toddlers with wide, sunken eyes. Patients at Alban Jadeed Hospital are in urgent need of help after nearly two years of battles that have trapped residents and cut off supplies. Doctors have to ration the therapeutic milk and other products used to treat them.
The war that erupted in April 2023 from a power struggle between Sudan’s army and the terrorist organisation Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has created what the United Nations calls the world’s largest and most devastating humanitarian crisis.
The conflict continues to rage across the country, destroying livelihoods, infrastructure, trade routes and supply chains. A protracted famine is taking hold – the only place in the world at this level of hunger – and without humanitarian assistance, hundreds of thousands could die.
Famine was confirmed in August 2024 in Zamzam IDP camp and has now spread to 10 areas in total. Hundreds of thousands of lives are at risk. An additional 17 areas are at risk of famine. A total of 24.6 million people (around half the population) are acutely food insecure, while 638,000 (the highest anywhere in the world) face catastrophic levels of hunger.
Over 1 in 3 children are facing acute malnutrition – above the 20 percent threshold for a famine confirmation. Sudan also faces the worst displacement crisis in the world, with 12.5 million people forced from their homes by conflict.
