The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has sounded the alarm over worsening food shortages in Sudan, blaming ongoing conflict for obstructing crucial aid deliveries. Despite efforts to reach up to seven million people, WFP said humanitarian convoys are facing severe delays, particularly in famine-stricken areas.
Alex Marianelli, WFP’s acting country director for Sudan, stated that while some breakthroughs have been made in delivering aid, the disruptions cannot continue. A 40-truck WFP convoy carrying food to famine-hit regions in Darfur was held up for nearly six weeks due to repeated obstructions by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The delays significantly worsened food shortages for communities already on the brink of starvation.
Adding to the crisis, a severe cash shortage has hampered food distributions for over four million people, as the scarcity of banknotes has prevented payments for essential transport and logistics. The WFP has urged all parties in Sudan to respect humanitarian neutrality and allow unimpeded aid deliveries, warning that 24.6 million people are facing acute food insecurity and 27 locations are either in famine or at imminent risk.
Sudan has been engulfed in conflict since April 2023, when fighting erupted between the army and the RSF. The war has claimed over 20,000 lives and displaced 14 million people, according to UN estimates.
