Famine has once again cast its grim shadow over Sudan, as the world’s top hunger authority declared on November 3, 2025, that two regions—el-Fasher in North Darfur State and Kadugli in South Kordofan—have officially descended into famine. The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), a United Nations-backed partnership and the leading global authority on hunger crises, sounded the alarm in its latest report, highlighting the spiraling humanitarian catastrophe driven by civil war, displacement, and a near-total breakdown in aid access.
The IPC’s announcement marks an escalation in what the United Nations has already called the world’s largest humanitarian disaster. According to the IPC, “a total collapse of livelihoods, starvation, extremely high levels of malnutrition, and death” have gripped el-Fasher and Kadugli. The numbers are staggering: approximately 375,000 people have been pushed into famine (IPC Phase 5) in Darfur and Kordofan as of September 2025, while another 6.3 million people across Sudan are in IPC Phase 4, meaning they face extreme levels of hunger. More than 21 million people—about 45% of Sudan’s population—are experiencing acute food insecurity, a figure that dwarfs previous crises in the region.
El-Fasher, a major city in Darfur, had been under siege for 18 months by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) before its dramatic fall on October 27, 2025. The city’s capture unleashed a wave of violence, with reports indicating that over 1,500 people were killed in massacres last week, and at least 460 perished in a single hospital, according to the World Health Organization. The RSF’s rampage did not stop at killings; civilians and aid workers have reported widespread beatings, sexual assaults, and other atrocities. With communications to the region severely hampered, the full extent of the violence remains unknown, but the testimonies that have emerged paint a harrowing picture.
Kadugli, too, has been under siege for months, with tens of thousands of people trapped as the RSF attempts to wrest control from the Sudanese military. Aid group Save the Children reported that food supplies ran out in Kadugli as early as September, and the IPC noted that only 21% of people in need currently have access to humanitarian aid. The United Nations has described the situation in Sudan as one of the worst humanitarian disasters in the world, with nearly 10 million people internally displaced—the largest displacement crisis globally. Many of these displaced families are now sheltering in overcrowded public buildings, with little access to food or sanitation.
The root of this catastrophe can be traced back to April 2023, when a power struggle between the Sudanese military and the RSF erupted into open conflict. The war has since killed more than 40,000 people, according to U.N. figures, though aid groups warn the true toll could be far higher. The fighting has also driven over 14 million people from their homes, fueled disease outbreaks, and decimated the country’s already fragile infrastructure.
According to the Associated Press, the IPC’s famine declaration follows a week of intensified paramilitary rampages in Darfur. Twenty other areas in Darfur and Kordofan are now also at risk of famine, as fighting between the RSF and government forces has blocked humanitarian assessments and deliveries. The besieged town of Dilling, for example, is believed to be experiencing conditions similar to Kadugli, but the IPC could not confirm famine there due to lack of access and data. “Urgent steps should be taken to allow full humanitarian access and assessment in this area,” the IPC urged.
The situation is exacerbated by the RSF’s ongoing campaign to consolidate control over Darfur and Kordofan after the military retook Sudan’s capital, Khartoum, earlier in 2025. The RSF, which is reportedly backed by the United Arab Emirates—a country that has received U.S. military support—has shifted its focus to these western and southern regions, further destabilizing the humanitarian landscape.
Food insecurity in Sudan is not merely a consequence of conflict; it is also being driven by economic collapse and supply chain disruptions. The IPC warned that food harvests in Darfur and Kordofan are expected to be “well below average due to insecurity, despite favorable agroclimatic conditions.” Food prices, already painfully high, are projected to remain elevated and may rise further in the first half of 2026 as stocks dwindle. The impact is especially severe for children: in famine-affected areas, at least 30% of children under five are suffering from acute malnutrition, and deaths from malnutrition-related causes exceed two per 10,000 people—or four children under five—per day.
The humanitarian response has been hamstrung by active hostilities, roadblocks, and bureaucratic hurdles. The IPC noted that only a fraction of those in need have received aid, and the situation continues to deteriorate. The World Health Organization’s director-general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, issued a stark warning: “An immediate ceasefire and humanitarian access are a must to prevent further deterioration and save lives!”
The International Court of Justice has also taken notice, announcing that it is “taking immediate steps regarding the alleged crimes in el-Fasher to preserve and collect relevant evidence for its use in future prosecutions.” This move signals growing international concern over potential war crimes committed during the RSF’s takeover of the city.
Despite the enormity of the crisis, there have been some limited improvements in parts of Sudan. The military’s retention of Khartoum and the neighboring Gezira province earlier this year allowed more than a million displaced people to return home, and the IPC reported a slight drop in the overall percentage of people facing acute food insecurity compared to the previous period. However, the report cautioned that these gains are fragile, as the war continues to “severely impact the economy, service delivery, and productive infrastructure.”
The IPC has previously confirmed famine only a handful of times in recent history, including in Somalia in 2011, South Sudan in 2017 and 2020, and most recently in parts of Gaza and Sudan’s western Darfur region. The current crisis in Sudan, however, is distinguished by its scale and complexity, with millions at risk and no clear end in sight.
As the conflict drags on, towns near el-Fasher—including Tawila, Melit, and Tawisha—are bracing for famine, having received the largest influx of people fleeing the violence since the RSF seized the city. The IPC’s call for a ceasefire is unequivocal: only an end to hostilities can prevent further loss of life and help contain the extreme levels of acute food insecurity and malnutrition now gripping Sudan.
With the world’s attention often elsewhere, the plight of Sudan’s civilians grows more desperate by the day. The international community faces a stark choice: step up efforts to secure a ceasefire and deliver aid, or risk witnessing a humanitarian tragedy on an even greater scale.
