༺ཌༀPHhgJༀད༻Sudan emergency

The combined effects of conflict, economic crisis, climate shocks and poor harvests are significantly affecting people’s access to food. These factors will likely double the number of people facing acute hunger to more than 18 million people in 2022.

In recent months, there has been a surge in the numbers of people displaced due to conflict over land, livestock, access to water and grazing, in parts of Darfur and the Kordofan region. This has eroded livelihoods, damaged farms and triggered widespread unemployment.

The depreciation of the Sudanese Pound, in addition to rising food and transportation costs, is making it harder for families to put food on the table.

Domestic cereal production from the 2021/22 agricultural season is expected to reach 5.1 million metric tons – covering the needs of less than two thirds of the population. This will leave many people reliant on humanitarian food assistance, and dependent on imports of essential grains at prices beyond the reach of most people.

The conflict in Ukraine is causing further spikes in food costs, as Sudan is dependent on wheat imports from the Black Sea region. Interruption to the flow of grain into Sudan will increase prices and make it difficult to import wheat.

In 2022, WFP is planning to reach 9.3 million people in Sudan with life-saving food and cash assistance, nutrition support, school meals and livelihood opportunities.

However, WFP faces a major funding shortfall of US$270 million through August. Food stocks are running dangerously low, coming at the worst time as more people are going hungry.

The funding crunch has already forced WFP to prioritize the most vulnerable people, and further cuts may be necessary unless additional funding is forthcoming.

What the World Food Programme is doing to respond to the Sudan emergency

Food assistance: WFP provides food assistance to vulnerable people such as refugees, internally displaced people, returnees and residents affected by shocks, using a combination of food and cash or vouchers.
School feeding: WFP provides meals to encourage school attendance among food-insecure children in rural and conflict-affected areas. The school feeding programme ensures children eat at least one nutritious meal a day.
Nutrition: WFP aims to treat acute malnutrition, reduce stunting and prevent mineral and vitamin deficiencies through nutrition-specific interventions. These include life-saving treatment of moderate acute malnutrition through the Targeted Supplementary Feeding Programme, and prevention of acute malnutrition through the emergency blanket supplementary feeding programme. WFP also promotes the consumption of fortified food and provides technical assistance to the Government for the development of legislation and standards in this area.
Food system and safety nets: WFP provides opportunities for food-insecure households to participate in community asset building and livelihood activities as part of a safety net programme. For example, WFP helps to reduce post-harvest losses by helping smallholder farmers to store their crops in hermetic bags, thereby reducing food losses and improving food security.
Common services: As the lead UN agency for logistics and emergency telecommunications, WFP provides critical logistics and information, and communication-technology services, to the humanitarian community. The WFP-managed United Nations Humanitarian Air Services enables humanitarians and cargo to reach remote and isolated, vulnerable communities.