WFP warns Sudan food aid could be cut within weeks as 20 million face acute hunger

The World Food Programme (WFP) warns that it may need to significantly reduce food aid to Sudan within weeks due to a funding shortfall, as the country faces acute hunger affecting 20 million people. Acting WFP chief Carl Skau stated that the agency is "completely underfunded" and needs an additional $300 million to continue its operations in Sudan.

This comes after a decline in donor funding, with the WFP receiving only about $206 million this year compared to $645 million last year. Sudan remains the world's largest hunger and displacement crisis, with 14 million people displaced and around five million facing emergency hunger levels. Around 200,000 people are at catastrophic food shortage levels, and the WFP currently reaches between four million to five million people each month.

However, funding shortages are limiting the assistance provided, particularly in areas like Tawila in Darfur, where WFP is providing food to 950,000 people each month. The funding shortage is exacerbated by a drought threatening food insecurity in Darfur during the rainy season. Skau visited El Fasher, a city of about one million that is now home to only tens of thousands after an 18-month siege, famine, and atrocities.

The WFP is reaching only around 20,000 people with life-saving assistance in El Fasher, which is now the new center of the conflict. Skau emphasized the need for increased efforts to protect and prevent further atrocities and better support internally displaced persons (IDPs) in camps.