Alarm bells ring for childhood hunger in Sudan
World Vision - the world’s largest children’s charity and working across four states in Sudan - is concerned of the critically dangerous trajectory of childhood hunger and malnutrition following alarming statistics in this month’s Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) Report.
The region continues to battle with the converging conditions of the El Niño drought, cholera and ongoing conflict. World Vision-supported health clinics are seeing increasing numbers of children arriving with severe malnutrition and maintains concern for those not able to reach clinics due to the risks of conflict.
The latest IPC Alert alerts the international community that child malnutrition is now above the famine threshold in parts of Darfur – one of the areas of Sudan where children are in most need. The IPC Report talks of “a human catastrophe, already of historic proportions, now on a worst-case trajectory as we enter the dry season”.
Simon Mane, World Vision Sudan National Director, is concerned that more children caught up in this crisis may die as malnutrition reaches dangerous levels with resources drying up, and conflict continuing to restrict aid getting through:
“In parts of Darfur, child malnutrition is now above the famine threshold. The IPC Alert confirms what our teams see every day. Fighting has forced families from their homes, El Niño drought has badly damaged this year’s crops, cholera is a growing risk, and many cannot reach health care. In Kordofan, the ongoing conflict is stopping us from reaching children who need treatment.
Families who fled had very little to begin with, and the drought has left them with even less. At our mobile clinics, we are seeing more children with severe malnutrition.
Without more funding, malnutrition will continue to rise, and more children will die from a condition we know how to prevent and treat. We urge donors to increase funding for nutrition and health services now, before the dry season worsens the drought’s effects.
We call on all parties to the conflict to allow safe, unhindered access to families in Darfur and Kordofan, and to protect civilians, humanitarian workers and critical infrastructure.”
World Vision currently operates across four states in Sudan: South Darfur, Blue Nile, East Darfur and South Kordofan.
The latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) Alert, released this month, shows worsening conditions across Greater Darfur and Kordofan:
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In two displacement camps in Eastern Jebel Marra, South Darfur, global acute malnutrition (GAM) is above the Famine threshold of 30%, at 38% and 30.8%. Thirteen of the 17 nutrition surveys carried out in Greater Darfur this year found Critical levels.
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Severe acute malnutrition admissions have doubled in Nyala and quadrupled in Kas this year, and risen 37% in West Kordofan.
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More than 300,000 people have been displaced in Greater Kordofan since October 2025. Kadugli and Dilling remain at risk of full siege, and aid convoys have been attacked.
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El Niño-induced drought now affects more than half of Sudan. The 2026 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan is less than half funded.
The Alert also reports concern as the country enters the dry season after a near record-poor harvest and calls on support from the international community to be able to ramp up the resources needed:
"We are witnessing a humanitarian catastrophe, already of historic proportions. which appears to be on a worst-case trajectory as we enter the dry season following a near record-poor harvest, the effects of which are already being felt and which will continue throughout 2026 and early 2027. In many of the affected areas, local mutual aid groups have been at the forefront of the response, and these efforts should be supported by the international humanitarian community. International agencies should also be provided with adequate funding to ramp up responses in areas they are able to access alongside local responders."
World Vision in Sudan
World Vision operates in four states across Sudan: South Darfur, Blue Nile, East Darfur and South Kordofan. Since the beginning of the conflict in 2023 World Vision has reached 2 million people (including 1.1 million children) with emergency food assistance, clean water, healthcare, sanitation and hygiene measures, and child protection services. It is working with local partners to build capacity and reach as many communities as possible.
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