An outbreak of famine was announced in at least five regions in Sudan

The report, which was issued on Tuesday, also revealed that the threat of famine threatens 17 additional regions.

The report said that this represents an unprecedented worsening and expansion of the food and nutrition crisis, driven by a devastating conflict that has caused unprecedented mass displacement, economic collapse, collapse of basic social services, severe societal unrest, and weak humanitarian access.

It is noteworthy that the Integrated Interim Classification of Food Security is a global initiative that includes United Nations agencies, regional partners and relief organizations.

Food insecurity is classified into: Five stages. Famine is the fifth stage of the classification, meaning that at least one out of every five people or families suffers from severe food shortages and faces the risk of starvation.

Constant famine

According to the Famine Review Commission report, the famine that was declared in August 2024 in Zamzam camp in North Darfur state continued and spread to Al Salam and Abu Shouk camps and the Western Nuba Mountains from October to November 2024.

He added that the famine is expected to expand between December 2024 and May 2025 in areas of North Darfur, including Umm Kadada, Mellit, Al-Fasher, Al-Tawisha and Al-Lait.

He warned that the threat of famine looms in the central Nuba Mountains, and in areas likely to witness large influxes of internally displaced people in North and South Darfur.

Severe food insecurity

The report showed that food insecurity is at worse levels than expected, as between December 2024 and May 2025 it is expected that 24.6 million people will face high levels of acute food insecurity, i.e. the third stage of the Integrated Interim Classification of Security. food or higher.

He pointed out that these results represent a sharp increase of 3.5 million people compared to the number originally expected, and are equivalent to more than half of Sudan’s population.

The report provides an update to previous forecasts published in June 2024 for the period October 2024 to February 2025.

Slight improvement

The report indicated that despite these numbers, there is a slight improvement in terms of the extent of acute food insecurity compared to the lean season (June-September 2024).

He explained that above-average rainfall supported agricultural activities as security conditions allowed farmers to access fields and agricultural inputs, thus alleviating food insecurity. As a result, the number of people at IPC III or higher during the lean season decreased.

But he pointed out that not all residents benefited from this equally. In areas with high intensity of conflict, hostilities have severely disrupted agricultural activities, leading to farmers abandoning and looting their crops and destroying livestock.

He said displaced families, especially those living in settlements and public buildings, were unlikely to benefit significantly from the harvest.