Global aid drops sharply - famine in Sudan worsens

The world's total aid has been cut by almost a quarter since 2024 – and all over the world the consequences are visible. One of the worst affected regions is Sudan, where the population has been tormented by a brutal civil war for several years. About 20 million people are suffering from acute hunger and 200,000 people are estimated to be in what is known as IPC5, the worst degree of famine on the UN scale, according to the WFP.

The absolute majority are women and children.

- This means that children die. Historically, we have always found ways to help people who are starving. Now, for the first time ever, we may have to opt out, says Carl Skau at WFP.

The situation in Sudan is further aggravated by the climate phenomenon El Niño, which leads to worse extreme weather that knocks out crops - globally, the WFP estimates that at least 49 million people will be pushed into acute hunger by El Niño by the end of 2027.

At the same time, the Hormuz crisis causes emergency aid to increase sharply in price. WFP estimates that the cost of a basic diet in Sudan has increased by 40 percent since February this year. Higher fuel prices also affect the transport of emergency aid, where, for example, airplane fuel has become 35 percent more expensive.

Carl Skau, who was in Sudan earlier in September to witness the growing disaster for himself, describes the situation as a perfect storm. WFP is now faced with the impossible choice of either airdropping emergency aid to the worst-hit areas, which is costly – or reaching far more people nearing the brink of starvation with ground-based aid shipments.

- If you stop helping those who are close to starvation for a few months, they will also end up in IPC5. We are in the midst of a discussion about opting out of airdrops, but then we know that people continue to die. People in WFP are furious about this, it breaks morale down completely.

WFP has already reduced rations for around 950,000 people in Sudan. Within the coming weeks, the rations will be further reduced, the organization estimates.

The situation is similar in the neighboring countries of South Sudan and Chad, which have received millions of refugees from war-torn Sudan. There, too, WFP is now cutting food rations due to a lack of funding.