Millions of people in Sudan are surviving on just one meal a day as the country’s food crisis worsens, according to a report published by a coalition of non-governmental organizations including Action Against Hunger and other humanitarian groups.
The findings highlight a rapidly deteriorating situation driven by Sudan’s ongoing conflict, which is approaching its third year.
Widespread hunger in worst-affected regions
The report found that in the most heavily affected areas, including North Darfur and South Kordofan, millions of families are only able to access a single meal per day.
FILE PHOTO: Sudanese refugees, who have fled the violence in their country, line up to receive food rations from World Food Programme (WFP), in Adre Chad July 20, 2023. REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra/File Photo
In many cases, people are going entire days without food. The study also reports that some communities have resorted to eating leaves and animal feed in order to survive.
Rising food insecurity across the country
According to figures cited in the report, about 61.7% of Sudan’s population — roughly 28.9 million people — is experiencing acute food insecurity.
Aid supplies from World Health Organization (WHO) and UAE-AID are loaded into a plane for Port Sudan, at the Abu Dhabi International Airport, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, May 5, 2023. REUTERS/Rula Rouhana
The 2026 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan indicates the scale of the crisis, which continues to expand as conflict disrupts agriculture, markets, and supply chains.
The report also points to famine conditions already confirmed in some locations, including al-Fashir and Kadugli, according to international monitoring assessments.
FILE PHOTO: Halime Adam Moussa, a Sudanese refugee who is seeking refuge in Chad for a second time, waits with others to share food portions, received from World Food Programme (WFP), near the border between Sudan and Chad in Koufroun, Chad, May 9, 2023. REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra/File Photo
Conflict driving humanitarian collapse
The report says Sudan’s war between the national army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) is a key driver of the crisis, disrupting farming and contributing to what it describes as starvation being used as a weapon of war, including the destruction of farms and markets.
Communal kitchens are increasingly unable to meet demand, while reductions in international donor funding are limiting humanitarian response efforts.
FILE PHOTO: Sudanese women lie in beds as they receive treatment for dengue fever at Omdurman Hospital, as Sudan grapples with outbreaks of dengue and cholera amid the annual rainy season and a collapsed healthcare and infrastructure system, in Khartoum, Sudan, September 23, 2025. REUTERS/El Tayeb Siddig/File Photo
Women and children among most affected
The humanitarian groups also warn that women and girls are disproportionately affected, facing heightened risks of violence when travelling to fields, markets, or water sources.
Female-headed households are reportedly three times more likely to experience food insecurity than male-headed households, underscoring the unequal impact of the crisis on vulnerable populations.
