Sudan famine risk hits 19.5m

FAO, WFP and UNICEF said on May 15 that nearly 19.5 million people in Sudan are facing acute food insecurity, the latest sign that the war has pushed hunger deeper across the country. The agencies said the figure covers people in IPC Phase 3 or above, meaning crisis, emergency or catastrophe levels of hunger. Their warning was based on the latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification analysis for Sudan. The agencies said conflict, displacement and restricted humanitarian access are driving the deterioration. ### Where does the 19.5 million figure come from? The IPC analysis for February through May 2026 said nearly 19.5 million people — about 41% of Sudan’s population — were in IPC Phase 3 or worse. The breakdown included about 14 million people in Crisis, more than 5 million in Emergency and nearly 135,000 in Catastrophe, the most severe level short of a famine declaration. (fao.org) The U.N. agencies said the assessment did not identify any area as currently in famine, but it flagged 14 hotspots in Darfur, South Darfur and South Kordofan as areas at risk in the coming months. The agencies described the risk as persistent rather than resolved. ### Why are agencies still warning about famine if famine has not been declared? (ipcinfo.org) IPC’s threshold for famine is narrower than a general warning about severe hunger. The Sudan analysis said some areas are in Catastrophe, which refers to households facing extreme food gaps and risk of starvation, while famine requires broader area-level evidence on hunger, malnutrition and mortality. (fao.org) WFP, FAO and UNICEF said active fighting, population displacement and limits on aid delivery are preventing conditions from improving. U.N. News, citing the joint alert, said the agencies warned that besieged areas and camps with large displaced populations remain especially exposed to further deterioration. (ipcinfo.org) ### Which people and places are under the greatest pressure? Darfur and South Kordofan were singled out in the IPC-linked releases as the main famine-risk hotspots. The agencies said the most severe conditions are concentrated in conflict-affected and hard-to-reach areas, including places where siege conditions or insecurity restrict commercial flows and humanitarian access. (wfp.org) By the end of March 2026, close to nine million people had been displaced inside Sudan, according to figures cited in the U.N.-linked reporting. That displacement has increased pressure on camps, host communities and local food systems already strained by fighting and economic disruption. ### What does the 825,000 number refer to? (unicef.org.au) The 825,000 figure refers to children at risk of death from severe malnutrition in 2026, according to the joint FAO-WFP-UNICEF release. That number is not the same as the count of people in IPC Catastrophe. It is a separate nutrition warning focused on children, and the agencies linked it to conflict, displacement and blocked or restricted aid access. (globalsecurity.org) Action Against Hunger, citing the same IPC data, said more than four million people are expected to suffer acute malnutrition this year and said Sudan’s health system has been severely damaged by the conflict. ### What are aid agencies asking for now? (wfp.org) FAO, WFP and UNICEF called for expanded humanitarian access, protection of civilians and a scaling up of food, nutrition and health assistance. The agencies said faster access to conflict areas and sustained funding are needed to prevent further deterioration in the identified hotspots. (actionagainsthunger.org) The next reference point is the IPC monitoring cycle for Sudan’s conflict-affected areas and updated reporting from U.N. agencies operating from Port Sudan, Rome and New York. Through the current February-May 2026 analysis window, Darfur, South Darfur and South Kordofan remain the areas named most often in famine-risk warnings. (fao.org)