Port Sudan — The ongoing conflict in Sudan has had devastating consequences, with thousands of lives lost, millions displaced, and economies in turmoil. The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) warns that the hunger crisis in the region is deepening as the conflict approaches its one-year mark.
In Sudan, once fertile agricultural lands have been turned into battlegrounds, leading to abandoned farms and businesses as people flee for safety. The country is facing severe cash shortages, with communication channels repeatedly cut off, hindering efforts to keep commerce going. Food prices have skyrocketed, with a 73 percent increase from last year and a staggering 350 percent above the five-year averages, exacerbated by the devaluation of the currency. The ripple effects of the conflict are felt in neighboring countries like South Sudan and Chad, where disrupted trade and massive population displacements are exacerbating hunger.
WFP’s Executive Director, Cindy McCain, warns that millions of people in Sudan, South Sudan, and Chad are at risk of starvation due to the destruction of agriculture, businesses, and national economies. The lean season in Sudan is fast approaching, starting earlier and expected to last longer due to the limited harvest season caused by the conflict. The FAO’s crop assessment shows a significant decrease in cereal production, with farmland destroyed and farmers forced to abandon their fields. The inability to afford fertilizers and fuel further compounds the agricultural crisis.
Sudan is facing challenges in financing the import of sufficient food stocks to cover the shortfall, leading to a doubling of staple grain prices and severe food shortages during the lean season. In South Sudan, the economy is plummeting due to hyperinflation and currency depreciation, exacerbated by the rupture in the main oil export pipeline that runs through Sudan. Cross-border trade between Sudan and South Sudan has nearly come to a standstill, further worsening the economic situation.
The economic turmoil risks pushing one million people into severe food insecurity in South Sudan, where over half the population is already acutely hungry. Food prices have more than doubled in some areas, making it difficult for households to afford essentials. A similar situation is unfolding in Chad, where food prices have nearly doubled in the east, and border closures have restricted trade and food availability in markets. Nearly half of all refugees and returnees in eastern Chad are facing acute hunger as the lean season approaches.
With fighting intensifying, the trajectory of Sudan’s war is deeply alarming, with the potential to trigger the world’s largest hunger emergency. There are already 28 million food-insecure people across Sudan, South Sudan, and Chad, who are at risk of slipping into deeper levels of hunger as the conflict continues to impact the entire region.
