Sudan Between an Expanding Famine and a War Without End

A bulletin issued by the Sudan Nutrition Sector, covering the period from January to September 2026, and published by the Nutrition Sector, led by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), has revealed an extremely grim picture of a crisis expanding faster than humanitarian organisations can contain it.

According to the bulletin, acute malnutrition exceeded the international emergency threshold of 15 per cent in 18 out of 37 surveys conducted in different parts of the country, representing nearly half of the locations covered by the assessments.

In seven surveys, the rate exceeded 20 per cent, indicating an extremely severe crisis that goes beyond globally recognised critical levels.

The figures show that Darfur is at the centre of the catastrophe, with 13 out of the 17 surveys conducted across the region recording acute malnutrition rates above the emergency threshold.

These figures reflect the impact of years of fighting, sieges, displacement, and the collapse of markets, healthcare facilities and water sources.