More than two-thirds of displaced families in eastern Sudan are struggling to secure adequate food as the ongoing war pushes millions closer to famine, the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) reported on Friday.
The conflict between Sudan’s army, led by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) under Mohamed Hamdan Daglo has displaced over 11 million people, according to UN figures. The violence, which has raged for nearly 20 months, has killed tens of thousands and forced many into neighbouring countries or internal displacement camps.
Eastern Sudan, particularly Gedaref state, now hosts over a million displaced individuals, many of whom fled after intensified RSF attacks in Al-Jazira state earlier this year. Despite this influx, a staggering 70% of displaced families and 56% of host families in the region are unable to afford sufficient food due to soaring prices and lost incomes, according to NRC surveys.
The NRC’s findings also highlight the lack of aid reaching affected populations. In the past six months, 92% of host families and 76% of internally displaced people in eastern Sudan reported receiving no food assistance.
“The scale of unmet needs for both displaced and host communities is beyond what the current humanitarian response can manage without urgent support,” said NRC Sudan Country Director Will Carter. He warned that towns and cities in eastern Sudan, already fragile before the conflict, are now on the verge of collapse.
Healthcare services in the region are critically overstretched, compounding the humanitarian crisis. The NRC has called for immediate global action to scale up aid delivery, rehabilitate essential infrastructure, and invest in livelihoods to prevent further destabilisation.
“The world must stand with all people affected by this terrible war,” Carter urged, emphasising the pressing need for international solidarity and support.
