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Over twelve months of warfare between the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) is driving a devastating
deterioration in acute food insecurity across Sudan, and parts of the country face a risk of Famine (IPC Phase 5).

Millions of people are experiencing severe hunger, and available evidence suggests high and rising levels of acute malnutrition and hunger-related mortality among internally displaced populations

About 14.6 million people (20 percent of the analysed population) experienced high levels of acute food insecurity, classified in IPC Phase 3 or above (Crisis or worse) between February and March 2024. An estimated 14.3 million people are in IPC Phase 3 (Crisis) and about 0.3 million people are in IPC Phase 4 (Emergency). High inflation, coupled with repeated climatic shocks as well as reduced income opportunities are putting high pressures on the poorest households and driving acute food insecurity in the analysed population. Urgent action is required to protect their livelihoods and reduce food consumption gaps. One fifth of the analysed districts were prone to natural shocks in 2023, while the majority had previously been classified between Moderate-to-Severe levels of chronic food insecurity (IPC Chronic Food Insecurity Level 3 and 4) (Source: Bangladesh Chronic Food Insecurity Situation 2019-2024 report).

About 14.6 million people (20 percent of the analysed population) experienced high levels of acute food insecurity, classified in IPC Phase 3 or above (Crisis or worse) between February and March 2024. An estimated 14.3 million people are in IPC Phase 3 (Crisis) and about 0.3 million people are in IPC Phase 4 (Emergency).

High inflation, coupled with repeated climatic shocks as well as reduced income opportunities are putting high pressures on the poorest households and driving acute food insecurity in the analysed population.

The food security and nutrition situation in Sudan has deteriorated significantly amidst escalating conflict, raising major concern. The IPC analysis released in December 2023 projected that, between October 2023 and February 2024, 17.7 million people in Sudan (37% of the population) faced high levels of acute food insecurity (IPC Phase 3 or above), of which 4.9 million (10%) were in IPC Phase 4 (Emergency). The unprecedented levels of acute food insecurity recorded by the IPC in 2023 have been driven by the devastating conflict that engulfed the country.

Security threats, roadblocks and protection concerns limit both the humanitarian response and assessments. Due to data gaps in hotspot areas and connectivity challenges, the Sudan IPC Technical Working Group (TWG) has not been in a position to update the IPC analysis released in December 2023. Consequently, this alert has been developed based on the review of the latest evidence available and issued to express major concern regarding the deteriorating situation; and advocate for stakeholders to act immediately to prevent famine. Since this IPC exercise, there has been a significant escalation of the conflict among armed factions and a rise in organized violence beyond the initial IPC assumptions made in previous analyses.

In the current period (February to March 2024), about 1.9 million people (12 percent of the population analysed) are classified in IPC Phase 3 or above in Kenya’s arid and semi-arid lands (ASAL), including about 300,000 people (2 percent of the population analysed) in IPC Phase 4 (Emergency) and 1.6 million people (10 percent of the population analysed) in IPC Phase 3 (Crisis).

This marks an improvement of 15 percent of the population that has moved to less severe classifications, mainly because of the seasonal performance of the 2023 MAM (March, April and May) rains followed by OND (October, November and December) rains, a positive harvest and improved livestock production and productivity across the ASALs.