Displaced Sudanese families living in camps are struggling to find food as the war between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces continues. Funding shortages forced the World Food Programme to cut monthly food assistance to around 900,000 displaced people in late October, while the United States Department of State warned of an alarming deterioration in food security and the risk of famine in the coming months.
Fifty-year-old Aisha Adam fled her home in Khartoum days after war erupted on April 15, 2023, eventually landing in a camp for internally displaced people in Port Sudan, where she shares a tent with her orphaned grandson and nephew.
“At the first shelter, I received some assistance from organisations, other agencies and even ordinary people. But things are different here. The aid we receive has decreased significantly, so I had to try to find work to avoid starving to death,” she told Al Jazeera.
Adam makes and sells a traditional fried pastry at a nearby market, leaving early each morning. She struggles to buy ingredients and feed the children. “The important thing is that we eat, even if it is only lentils and water, with nothing else. But my greatest fear is that we will fall ill, because we have no money for treatment.”
Her experience reflects a wider crisis. The fighting between the SAF and the RSF has killed as many as 200,000 people, according to aid workers, displaced 13 million and led to famine in parts of the country.
In an October 27 statement, the US Department of State said Sudan is experiencing an alarming deterioration in its food security, warning that the risk of famine in the coming months requires urgent action. Days earlier, on October 22, the WFP announced that funding shortages forced it to cut monthly food assistance to displaced people, affecting about 900,000 people. The WFP says 19.5 million people across Sudan face acute hunger, including five million experiencing emergency levels of food shortages, with the risk of famine persisting in Greater Darfur and Greater Kordofan.
Esraa Mohammed, supervisor of the al-Suraiha 8 IDP camp in al-Obeid, says her camp has 450 registered displaced people, with 40 newly arrived who have not yet been added to the records. “Most arrive wearing torn clothes after their journeys, with nothing to protect them from the sun or rain, and without even a single meal.”
She says there are 100 children in the camp, 30 of whom are suffering from severe acute malnutrition. She added that some displaced people arriving from South Kordofan told her they had to eat tree leaves while fleeing, fearing being killed by the RSF following reports of civilians being murdered, detained or raped by fighters from the group.
Ahmed Ismail, an expert on the United Nations and NGOs, described the humanitarian situation as extremely serious. “When assistance declines, the most vulnerable families are deprived of food and medicine, increasing the risk of death among children, women and older people, particularly in conflict and displacement areas.”
Continued reductions in aid, alongside escalating violations and restrictions on humanitarian access, could turn the crisis into an even wider catastrophe, he warned. “Denying the severity of conditions in some areas did not change the reality of the suffering experienced by civilians.”
Analysis
Why This Matters
- The crisis in Sudan is one of the world's largest displacement and hunger emergencies, yet remains dangerously underfunded relative to its scale.
- The WFP funding cut directly strips nearly a million people of their food lifeline, illustrating the deadly consequences of aid shortfalls in conflict zones.
- Warnings from the US and humanitarian experts indicate the situation could deteriorate into a wider catastrophe if access and funding are not urgently improved.
Background
Sudan has been engulfed in a devastating war between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) since April 15, 2023. The conflict has killed tens of thousands, displaced millions, and led to famine in parts of the country. The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification has warned of ongoing famine risk in several hunger hotspots.
Key Perspectives
- Aisha Adam (displaced woman, Port Sudan): Describes being forced to work to survive after aid decreased significantly, living on lentils and water, and fearing illness because she has no money for medical treatment.
- Esraa Mohammed (camp supervisor, al-Obeid): Reports that newly arriving families are destitute and that 30 out of 100 children in her camp are suffering from severe acute malnutrition, with many families reporting attacks by the RSF.
- Ahmed Ismail (humanitarian expert): Warns that reductions in aid, combined with escalating violations and restrictions on humanitarian access, risk turning the crisis into an even wider catastrophe, and criticises what he calls the denial of the severity of conditions.
- United States Department of State: Warned of an alarming deterioration in food security and stressed the need for urgent action regarding the risk of famine in the coming months.
What to Watch
- Whether international donors respond to the WFP's funding gap and restore food assistance to displaced populations.
- The trajectory of the conflict and any changes in humanitarian access restrictions, particularly in Greater Darfur and Greater Kordofan.
- Updated IPC data on whether famine conditions expand further across the country.
Checked
12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 12 supported.
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- SupportedDisplaced Sudanese face worsening hunger as WFP cuts food assistance.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “Adam’s struggle to feed the two children comes as Sudan faces deepening food shortages. ... On October 22, 2026, the World Food Programme (WFP) announced that funding shortages had forced it to cut monthly food assistance to displaced people, affecting about 900,000 people.”
- SupportedFunding shortages forced WFP to cut monthly food assistance affecting about 900,000 people.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “On October 22, 2026, the World Food Programme (WFP) announced that funding shortages had forced it to cut monthly food assistance to displaced people, affecting about 900,000 people.”
- SupportedThe US warned of famine risk in the coming months.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “In a joint statement released on October 27, the United States Department of State warned of the deterioration in food availability and the risk of famine in the coming months.”
- SupportedAisha Adam said, “At the first shelter, I received some assistance from organisations, other agencies and even ordinary people. But things are different here. The aid we receive has decreased significantly, so I had to try to find work to avoid starving to death.”Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: ““At the first shelter, I received some assistance from organisations, other agencies and even ordinary people. But things are different here. The aid we receive has decreased significantly, so I had to try to find work to avoid starving to death,” she said.”
- SupportedAisha Adam said, “The important thing is that we eat, even if it is only lentils and water, with nothing else. But my greatest fear is that we will fall ill, because we have no money for treatment.”Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: ““The important thing is that we eat, even if it is only lentils and water, with nothing else. But my greatest fear is that we will fall ill, because we have no money for treatment,” she said.”
- SupportedThe fighting has killed as many as 200,000 people, according to aid workers.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “The fighting between the SAF and the RSF has killed as many as 200,000 people, according to aid workers.”
- SupportedWFP says 19.5 million people face acute hunger, including five million experiencing emergency levels of food shortages.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “Meanwhile, some 19.5 million people across the country face acute hunger, including five million experiencing emergency levels of food shortages.”
- SupportedEsraa Mohammed said, “Most arrive wearing torn clothes after their journeys, with nothing to protect them from the sun or rain, and without even a single meal.”Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: ““Most arrive wearing torn clothes after their journeys, with nothing to protect them from the sun or rain, and without even a single meal.””
- SupportedMohammed said the camp had 100 children, 30 of whom suffered from severe acute malnutrition.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: ““There are 100 children in the camp, 30 of whom are suffering from severe acute malnutrition. They also urgently need clothes to protect them from harsh weather conditions and cover their small bodies,” she said.”
- SupportedSome displaced people arriving from South Kordofan told Mohammed they had been forced to eat tree leaves while fleeing because they feared being killed by the RSF.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “Mohammed added that some displaced people arriving from South Kordofan had told her they were forced to eat tree leaves while fleeing their homes because they feared being killed by the RSF, following reports of civilians being murdered, detained or raped by fighters from the group.”
- SupportedAhmed Ismail said, “When assistance declines, the most vulnerable families are deprived of food and medicine, increasing the risk of death among children, women and older people, particularly in conflict and displacement areas.”Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: ““When assistance declines, the most vulnerable families are deprived of food and medicine, increasing the risk of death among children, women and older people, particularly in conflict and displacement areas,” Ismail said.”
- SupportedAhmed Ismail said, “Denying the severity of conditions in some areas did not change the reality of the suffering experienced by civilians.”Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: ““Denying the severity of conditions in some areas did not change the reality of the suffering experienced by civilians,” he said.”