Urgent Appeal: WFP Calls for Unimpeded Access to Preposition Food Aid in Sudan

Famine conditions have already been confirmed in 10 locations, including eight in North Darfur (including Zamzam Camp) and two in the Western Nuba Mountains.

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has issued an urgent call for unimpeded access to strategic locations across Sudan, warning that both the deliberate obstruction by parties involved in the ongoing conflict and the approaching rainy season threaten to cut off vast regions of the country from vital food assistance. As the world’s largest hunger catastrophe unfolds, millions of Sudanese face the very real risk of being completely isolated from life-saving aid.

The Current Food Security Situation in Sudan

For over two years, the brutal civil war in Sudan has ravaged the country, plunging it into the world’s most severe hunger crisis. Nearly half of Sudan’s population, or 24.6 million people, are facing acute hunger. The situation is dire, with over 638,000 individuals experiencing catastrophic levels of hunger (IPC5), the highest number of people in such conditions anywhere globally.

Famine conditions have already been confirmed in 10 locations, including eight in North Darfur (including Zamzam Camp) and two in the Western Nuba Mountains. The famine situation was first confirmed in Zamzam Camp in August 2024, marking a critical point in the humanitarian emergency. In addition, another 17 areas—spanning North, South, and East Darfur, the Nuba Mountains, Khartoum, and Gezira—are at high risk of slipping into famine. In some of the hardest-hit areas, one in every three children is acutely malnourished, surpassing established famine thresholds.

WFP's Operations and Response

In response to the growing crisis, WFP has been providing essential food and nutrition assistance to more than 3 million people each month. However, with the humanitarian needs escalating, WFP aims to expand its outreach, targeting 7 million individuals each month by mid-2025.

WFP has managed to reach previously inaccessible areas in recent months, including regions like greater Khartoum, Gezira State, Darfur, and the Kordofan regions—some of which had not received any food assistance since the onset of the conflict. These efforts have been instrumental in reducing the risk of famine in Central and West Darfur, where nearly 1 million people have received regular WFP food aid or cash assistance since June 2024.

In addition to ongoing food assistance efforts, over 30,000 metric tons of food supplies have been transported into Darfur through the reopened Adre border crossing since August 2024. Despite these efforts, families in these regions continue to face extreme hunger levels, with many still on the brink of disaster.

WFP’s focus now is to pre-position additional food supplies to reach famine-stricken or at-risk communities more swiftly. This requires expanded storage capacity in critical locations across Darfur and other parts of Sudan, where access to food is rapidly dwindling.

Access Challenges and Operational Obstacles

Unimpeded access to affected regions remains the single largest obstacle to WFP’s operations in Sudan. Humanitarian efforts are frequently obstructed by the conflict parties, and the challenges are expected to worsen with the onset of the rainy season, which will render many routes impassable, isolating communities from vital aid.

The situation has been particularly dire in El Fasher, where ongoing violence has limited humanitarian access. In February 2025, WFP was forced to suspend operations in Zamzam IDP Camp due to escalating violence. While efforts are underway to resume operations as soon as possible, violence and bureaucratic delays continue to impede the timely delivery of aid. Furthermore, the denial of movement for humanitarian staff, along with extortion and other forms of obstruction, has paralyzed much-needed assistance.

The Regional Impact of Sudan's Crisis

The effects of the Sudanese conflict have reached far beyond the nation’s borders. More than a million people have fled to neighboring South Sudan, where WFP provides fortified biscuits, hot meals, and a one-time food or cash ration to new arrivals. Nutritional support for children and mothers is also a priority at border areas to prevent further deterioration in health.

Meanwhile, Chad has hosted nearly 1 million refugees and returnees from Sudan, and WFP has been actively supporting these vulnerable groups, providing assistance to both refugees and host communities since the outbreak of conflict in 2023.

WFP's Urgent Funding Appeal

As the humanitarian crisis deepens, WFP is urgently seeking $650 million to continue its critical operations in Sudan for the next six months. Given the complex and rapidly evolving nature of the situation, the organization has emphasized the need for flexible funding, which is essential to adapt quickly to the changing dynamics on the ground. Without these funds, WFP's ability to deliver timely assistance will be severely compromised, further endangering the lives of millions of Sudanese people.

The global community’s support is more crucial than ever to ensure that WFP can continue its life-saving work in Sudan, helping to stave off a full-blown famine and ensuring that millions of vulnerable people are not left to face starvation and despair alone.