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 have to sharply reduce food aid in Sudan within weeks due to a significant funding shortfall, as 20 million individuals in the war-torn nation face acute hunger. Acting WFP chief Carl Skau stated, "Our operations are completely underfunded and there is a risk that we will have to scale back quite significantly in the next few weeks unless more funding is provided."

The agency requires nearly $300 million to continue its current operations in Sudan, but has only received around $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 nearly five million in emergency hunger levels. WFP currently reaches between four million to five million people each month, including up to 2.5 million in some of the most inaccessible areas.

However, funding shortages are limiting the organization's ability to provide adequate assistance. In Tawila, Darfur, where nearly one million people are sheltering, WFP provides food to about 950,000 people monthly but can only afford to offer half rations. Skau expressed concern about the region's worsening drought, which threatens to exacerbate food insecurity and negatively impact agriculture, especially during the rainy season.

Additionally, Skau visited El Fasher, where only tens of thousands of people remain after an 18-month siege, famine, and atrocities. While WFP reaches around 20,000 people with life-saving food assistance, it is the sole source of support for those still in the city. Fighting is intensifying in Kordofan and Blue Nile, regions now considered the new epicenter of the conflict.

Skau emphasized that the WFP must do more to protect and prevent further atrocities and support internally displaced persons (IDPs) in camps, as past failures have not adequately addressed their needs.