The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) reported that more than two-thirds of displaced families in eastern Sudan are struggling to secure enough food as the ongoing war has plunged millions into the depths of famine.
The displacement crisis in eastern Sudan has worsened significantly, particularly since mid-year when the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) intensified their assaults in Al-Jazira state, south of Khartoum. Neighbouring Gedaref state now hosts over one million displaced individuals, according to United Nations data.
For nearly 20 months, Sudan’s army, led by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, has been locked in a brutal conflict with Mohamed Hamdan Daglo’s RSF. The war has claimed tens of thousands of lives and displaced more than 11 million people, both internally and across borders, according to UN estimates.
In October, UN experts accused both warring factions of employing “starvation tactics” against 25 million civilians, exacerbating the humanitarian catastrophe.
The Norwegian Refugee Council warned that the scale of unmet needs for displaced families and host communities far exceeds what the current humanitarian response can handle without urgent global support.
A survey conducted by NRC across six states in eastern Sudan revealed that 70% of internally displaced families and 56% of host families cannot afford sufficient food due to surging prices and lost incomes. Shockingly, 92% of host families and 76% of displaced individuals reported receiving no food aid in the past six months.
NRC’s Sudan Country Director Will Carter have said Eastern Sudan’s towns and cities were already fragile. The ongoing conflict has pushed these areas to the brink, with both displaced and host communities now on the verge of collapse.
Health care services in the region are also critically overstretched, compounding the crisis.
The NRC has called for immediate global action to address the crisis, urging increased humanitarian aid, the rehabilitation of vital infrastructure, and investments in sustainable livelihoods to prevent further destabilization.
