Sudan New WFP Food Security assessment confirms alarming rise in hunger

“The combined effects of conflict, climate shocks, economic and political crises, rising costs and poor harvests are pushing millions of people deeper into hunger and poverty,’ said Eddie Rowe, WFP’s Representative and Country Director in Sudan.

“However, funding levels are not matching the humanitarian needs and we must act now to avoid increasing hunger levels and to save the lives of those already affected.”

The assessment projects that the already alarming food security situation is likely to worsen throughout the lean season in Sudan, which started this month and will last through September. By that time, up to 40% of the population, or around 18 million people, may slip into food insecurity, which WFP and the Food and Agricultural Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) warned of earlier this year.  

“In the 2021/2022 harvest year, Sudan was able to produce 5.1 million tons of cereal, enough to cover the needs of less than two thirds of the population. If the ongoing agriculture season doesn’t receive robust support with agricultural inputs and livestock services, the number of food insecure people may dramatically increase to unprecedented levels and ultimately lead to more conflict and displacement,” said Babagana Ahmadu, FAO Representative in Sudan.

The combined effects of the economic and political crisis, conflict and displacement, climate shocks, including droughts and floods, and a poor harvest in the past agricultural season are among the key drivers of food insecurity in Sudan. To compound the situation, the conflict in Ukraine is further driving up food and fuel prices in Sudan, which is dependent on food imports with more than half of the country’s wheat imports stemming from the Black Sea region.

The CFSVA assessment further shows that food insecurity exists in all of Sudan’s 18 states and has worsened in 16 of the states. The ten most affected localities are in the Darfurs, which have been ravaged by nearly two decades of protracted conflict and displacement.

The most affected locality is in Kereneik, West Darfur, where renewed clashes at the end of April claimed the lives of at least 179 people and displaced around 125,000. Up to 90 percent of the population in Kereneik is food insecure, the CFSVA analysis shows.  

An earlier WFP and FAO assessment on agricultural production, released last March, revealed that poor harvests in many parts of Sudan negatively affected food availability and livelihood opportunities. Building upon this, the newly released Comprehensive Food Security Assessment confirms the worsening food security situation in Sudan.  

To address the sharp rise in food insecurity, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) are calling for urgent action, including increased funding, in order to save lives and prevent a looming hunger crisis in Sudan.

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Background:

The Comprehensive Food Security and Vulnerability Assessment is available here.

Video footage is available here.

Photos are available here.

The Comprehensive Food Security and Vulnerability Assessment (CFSVA) is a food security assessment led by the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP). The assessment ascertains the food security situation among the resident population, assess risk factors that contribute to food insecurity, and highlight vulnerable geographical areas. This information on vulnerability enables well-informed decision-making processes for WFP programme design and targeting purposes and provides evidence for the expansion of future assistance programs.

The United Nations World Food Programme is the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate.  We are the world’s largest humanitarian organization, saving lives in emergencies and using food assistance to build a pathway to peace, stability and prosperity for people recovering from conflict, disasters, and the impact of climate change.

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that works in diverse ways to advance food security for all, so that people have regular access to enough high-quality food to lead active and healthy lives. That includes operating in crises contexts from day one to address acute levels of food insecurity, providing rural agriculture-dependent and pastoralist communities with support so they can continue to produce food, earn income, and keep their livelihoods intact.

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