One year after fighting erupted between rival factions in Sudan, the country is on the brink of catastrophic famine, with nearly 5 million people at risk of starvation.

The conflict has devastated Sudan’s food systems, leaving an estimated 18 million people – more than 37% of the population – experiencing acute food insecurity. This means their lives and livelihoods are in immediate danger due to severely inadequate food access and availability.

Eatizaz Yousif, IRC Country Director for Sudan, said, “We stand at a critical juncture in Sudan’s history, where the choices we make today will shape the future of generations to come. The past year has been marked by immense challenges and hardships for the people of Sudan. The conflict has resulted in significant loss of life, displacement, and economic strain. Beyond the figures, our new report aims to show the very real, multifaceted, human impact of the crisis on the people that have become displaced due to an entire year of this conflict.”

The crisis has been fueled by a perfect storm of factors stemming from the conflict. Fighting has forced farmers to flee their land, disrupting crop production. Supply chains have collapsed, markets have been destroyed, and hyperinflation has put food prices out of reach for millions.

“I left my farm in Mouni when the violence came. Now I have nothing to feed my four children,” said Haway Arba Adam, a 30-year-old Sudanese refugee in Chad. “We came to Chad with just one cooking pot. There is no food here, and I don’t know what we will do.”

Nearly 4 million children under 5 in Sudan are already suffering from malnutrition, a life-threatening condition. Without urgent treatment, aid agencies warn that 700,000 children with severe acute malnutrition could die.

The food crisis is compounding an already dire humanitarian situation. The conflict has displaced over 6 million people within Sudan, and driven 1.8 million more to seek refuge in neighboring countries. Many of these displaced families have lost their livelihoods and are entirely dependent on humanitarian assistance to survive.

Humanitarian organizations are racing to scale up food assistance, nutrition programs, and agricultural support. But endemic access challenges, lack of funding, and the sheer scale of need are hampering their efforts.