The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has issued an urgent appeal for international funding to sustain life-saving food assistance for millions of Sudanese refugees who have fled to neighbouring countries amid ongoing conflict in Sudan. The agency warned that a worsening financial shortfall could force it to halt operations in the coming months, putting vulnerable families—particularly children—at increasing risk of hunger and malnutrition.
Since the outbreak of fighting on April 15, 2023, between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, the country has spiralled into a humanitarian catastrophe. The UN describes it as the world’s worst displacement crisis, with millions driven from their homes and thousands crossing into countries including Chad, South Sudan, Egypt, Ethiopia, and the Central African Republic.
WFP has been providing emergency assistance to those displaced across seven neighbouring countries, but the pace and scale of the crisis are rapidly outstripping available resources. The agency says it needs over US$200 million to continue supporting Sudanese refugees for the next six months. An additional US$575 million is required to sustain critical humanitarian efforts inside Sudan itself.
“Millions of people who have fled Sudan depend wholly on support from WFP, but without additional funding we will be forced to make further cuts to food assistance,” said Shaun Hughes, WFP’s Emergency Coordinator for the Sudan Regional Crisis. “This will leave vulnerable families, and particularly children, at increasingly severe risk of hunger and malnutrition.”
The warning comes as WFP has already made reductions to its food assistance programmes in several refugee-hosting countries due to funding gaps, including ration cuts and reduced frequency of food distributions. Host communities are also under increasing pressure, as they share limited resources with the growing number of displaced people.
Hughes emphasised that while humanitarian support remains vital, it is not a long-term solution. “Ultimately, humanitarian support alone will not put an end to conflict and forced displacement—political and global diplomatic action is what’s urgently needed to end the fighting so that peace and stability can return,” he said.
WFP is urging donor governments and international partners to act swiftly to avoid a deeper crisis and ensure that millions of refugees and displaced people are not abandoned at their most vulnerable.
The situation in Sudan continues to deteriorate, with no clear resolution to the conflict in sight. The UN warns that without an immediate injection of funds, the humanitarian fallout from the war could deepen further, destabilising the region and costing countless lives.
