Khartoum, Sudan, February 5, 2026 — The latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) alert confirming that Um Baru and Kernoi localities in North Darfur, Sudan are now experiencing famine-level malnutrition is nothing short of a national tragedy. This devastating development reflects the cumulative impact of nearly three years of relentless conflict, economic collapse, and shrinking humanitarian access that have pushed millions of families in Sudan to the brink and have led Sudan to top IRC’s Emergency Watchlist, for the third consecutive year.
Sudan’s food security crisis continues to deepen despite repeated warnings over the last few years from the international humanitarian community. Currently, over 21 million people are facing high levels of acute food insecurity across Sudan. In many parts of Darfur and Kordofan, chronic violence, sky rocketing inflation, access challenges and displacement have driven food scarcity to catastrophic extremes. In some areas, Global Acute Malnutrition (GAM) rates are exceeding the emergency threshold of 15 percent and have reached levels above 30 percent, which is a clear marker of famine-level malnutrition among vulnerable groups, especially children and pregnant women.
Conflict has severely disrupted household livelihoods and local food systems across Sudan. Food stocks have dwindled, prices have soared, and families are increasingly forced to take desperate measures just to survive. These conditions are compounded by the collapse of essential services including health, water, sanitation, and nutrition treatment especially in areas under siege or with restricted humanitarian access.
Richard Data, IRC Sudan Country Director, said,
“Behind these numbers are mothers, fathers and children whose lives are hanging by a thread. Without immediate, scaled-up humanitarian assistance, including cash, food, nutrition support, lifesaving health care, we risk seeing more communities fall into famine. IRC and humanitarian partners on the ground are working tirelessly under extremely challenging circumstances, but the scale and severity of needs demand urgent and sustained international action.
“We call on all parties to the conflict to allow unfettered humanitarian access and to prioritize the protection of civilians. The international community must step up now with funding, negotiations with parties to the conflict and humanitarian support before even more lives are lost.”
When the conflict began in 2023, the IRC adapted its programs and scaled up our response to address increased humanitarian needs. Despite operational challenges, the IRC continues to provide support in Blue Nile, Gedaref, Khartoum, River Nile, South Kordofan and White Nile states and is working on re-establishing its presence in Jazera state. We have an office in Port Sudan and are expanding our presence into other states, including Darfur.