Elham Asaad Buaras
Over four million Sudanese refugees across East and Central Africa are at risk of starvation within the next two months unless immediate international funding is secured, warns the UN World Food Programme (WFP).
The agency stated it needs at least $200 million over the next six months to maintain existing levels of food assistance. Without this funding, the WFP said it will be forced to scale back or suspend operations in several host countries, including Uganda, Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia, Libya, and the Central African Republic.
Shaun Hughes, Emergency Coordinator for the Sudan Regional Crisis, told reporters in Geneva that support to refugees in multiple countries “could cease within two months” without urgent contributions. “Millions of people who have fled Sudan depend wholly on support from WFP,” Hughes emphasized. “But without additional funding, we will be forced to make further cuts to food assistance.”
Sudan’s ongoing civil war, which erupted in April 2023 between the national army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, has led to the deaths of more than 40,000 people and the displacement of an estimated 13 million. These figures, cited by the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED) and UN agencies, reflect one of the worst humanitarian collapses in recent memory.
Within Sudan, nearly half the population now faces acute food insecurity. In the city of El Fasher, the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF report that 239 children have died from malnutrition over the past six months, exacerbated by shortages of food and medicine and the deliberate targeting of health and nutrition supply centres.
The humanitarian disaster is spilling across borders. In Uganda, the WFP reports that many newly arrived Sudanese refugees are surviving on less than 500 calories a day—barely a quarter of the recommended daily intake. In Chad, which is now hosting nearly a quarter of Sudan’s total refugee population, the agency says food rations will be reduced in the coming months if additional funding is not provided.
Hughes described the crisis as a “full-blown regional emergency” unfolding in fragile states already struggling with their own food insecurity and internal conflicts.
Children remain the most vulnerable. Malnutrition rates among young Sudanese in refugee reception centres in South Sudan and Uganda have already breached emergency thresholds. WFP officials warn that without sustained nutritional support, many of these children will suffer irreversible health impacts—or worse.
The WFP is urging donor nations and humanitarian partners to respond swiftly to the funding shortfall. The agency emphasizes that safe access to affected populations, both within Sudan and in neighbouring countries, must also be guaranteed. Many aid corridors remain blocked or under constant threat, further complicating efforts to deliver life-saving food and medical supplies.
In a statement, the agency stressed the urgency of global action: “We are at a critical tipping point. Without immediate global solidarity, millions—particularly children—will face unimaginable suffering.”
(Photo credit: WFP/Jacques David)
