UN assessment finds 19.5 million in Sudan crisis-level hunger in year 4 of war

Almost 20 million people in war-torn Sudan are facing crisis levels of acute hunger, according to a new assessment by the United Nations-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, released as the conflict enters its fourth year. The report says 19.5 million Sudanese people, roughly two out of every five, are in IPC crisis-level hunger conditions, driven by violence, displacement, and severe constraints on humanitarian access.

The analysis classifies 135,000 people in IPC Phase 5, described as a catastrophe level marked by extreme acute food insecurity and extreme acute malnutrition. It also estimates that more than 5 million people are in IPC Phase 4 emergency and about 14 million are in IPC Phase 3 crisis. No area is reported to be in famine at present, but the report warns that 14 areas in North Darfur, South Darfur and South Kordofan remain at risk of famine, particularly if fighting intensifies or food and health access deteriorate further.

Humanitarian agencies say conditions are likely to worsen during the upcoming June to September lean season, when food supplies typically tighten. A senior representative of Action Against Hunger, Samy Guessabi, said the...