Sudan hunger crisis: WFP calls for funds and humanitarian access to avert famine
Story | 27 June 2024
Emergency
Sudan
- 26.6 million
- people are food insecure
- 9.1 million
- people displaced inside and outside of the country since April 2023
- US$200 million
- WFP funding needs to end of 2024
Sudan is home to the world’s largest hunger crisis, as the war continues to devastate lives and livelihoods.
More than half the population (nearly 26 million people) are now facing Crisis levels of hunger, and 14 areas have been declared “at risk of famine”.
Sudan also faces the worst displacement crisis in the world: 9.1 million people have been displaced since the conflict began in April 2023, and over 2 million have fled to surrounding countries, mainly Chad and South Sudan.
WFP has assisted 6.8 million people with food and cash since the war began, including refugees and internally displaced people, host communities and other residents.
WFP is rapidly scaling up its emergency response to avert famine, more than doubling the number of people targeted for assistance during 2024 to 8.7 million. We are opening new humanitarian corridors to provide aid for over 1 million people in hard-to-reach areas.
We do not have the resources to support everyone in urgent need, however. WFP urgently requires $US200 million through 2024 solely to assist those at risk of famine. We also urgently need additional funding to increase cash-based assistance.
What the World Food Programme is doing to respond to the Sudan emergency
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Emergency response
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WFP has reached 6.8 million people with food and cash since the war began. This includes more than 3 million internally displaced people, refugees and vulnerable host communities. WFP has provided aid to 800,000 people in 26 of the 44 hunger hotspots. This is only possible through our partners on ground, including 11 national and 19 international organizations.
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Resilience
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WFP manages activities designed to improve livelihoods and build resilience, focused on the relatively safe eastern state of Sudan. WFP has also resumed the African Development Bank-funded Sudan Emergency Wheat Production Project in Northern, River Nile, Gezira, Kassala and White Nile states. The programme aims to increase Sudan’s domestic wheat production, which is vital to preventing hunger from rising even more.
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UNHAS
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The WFP-managed United Nations Humanitarian Air Services has established air connections between Nairobi and Port Sudan and Amman and Port Sudan, which are already transporting frontline humanitarians from 69 organizations. In 2023, UNHAS facilitated nearly 200 international flights into and out of Port Sudan, transporting around 4,000 passengers and 18.2 MT of light humanitarian cargo from May to December 2023.
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Logistics
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The WFP-led Logistics Cluster provides storage services to 9 UN agencies and NGO partners at four locations in Port Sudan, Wad Madani, Kosti, and Gedaref. Thousands of tons of humanitarian supplies are passing through these hubs.
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Emergency Telecommunications Cluster
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The Emergency Telecommunications Cluster provides connectivity services in Port Sudan, Kassala and Kosti. In Port Sudan, the Cluster is providing connectivity to around 600 users from 37 partners across 28 sites. In Kassala, the Cluster provides connectivity to 70 users from 8 partners across 4 sites.
How you can help
WFP needs US$200 million until the end of 2024, to support people whose lives have been upended by the conflict.
Donate now