Famine Declared in Parts of Sudan as Crisis Deepens
Regions of war-torn Sudan are now experiencing famine conditions, international authorities declared today, adding to the growing global hunger crisis and raising fears of widespread mortality.
The declaration, issued by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) initiative, confirms catastrophic shortages of food, water, and medicine in affected areas. This system, developed in response to famines in Africa during the 1980s, provides an internationally-agreed upon standard for gauging hunger crises. As former World Food Programme spokesperson Steve Taravella explained, the IPC is “basically the authoritative, respected, scientific mechanism for measuring levels of hunger in different areas.” The IPC categorizes hunger on a five-phase scale, with famine designated as phase five, requiring at least 20% of households to face extreme food lack, 30% of children under five suffering from acute malnutrition, and a daily death rate of at least two per 10,000 adults from non-trauma causes.
While the IPC and FEWS NET – a network monitoring hunger hotspots monthly – can identify famine conditions, the official declaration requires review and approval by an independent committee of experts and ultimately, acknowledgement by government and UN leadership. Collecting reliable data in conflict zones, particularly regarding mortality rates, remains a significant challenge, meaning the true scale of the crisis may be underestimated. As Jean-Martin Bauer, the World Food Programme’s director for Food Security and Nutrition Analysis Service, noted, “lack of data can hinder an official classification of famine. By the time famine is declared, people are already dying.” This situation echoes recent findings in Gaza, where similar levels of acute food insecurity have been reported.
Aid groups emphasize that famine is preventable with a cessation of hostilities and full access for humanitarian aid. The famine classification system aims to provide an early warning, mobilizing a response before conditions deteriorate further. “Several years ago, when [famines] happened in certain places, you could say, ‘I’m sorry. I did not know.’ Today we see crises in real time. So we cannot say we did not know,” said WFP chief economist Arif Husain. The United Nations is calling for an immediate increase in humanitarian assistance and a renewed effort to achieve peace in Sudan.
