Acute malnutrition among children has reached catastrophic levels in parts of Sudan’s North Darfur and Greater Kordofan, United Nations (UN) backed analysts warned, as conflict, mass displacement, and blocked aid push the country deeper into famine. The IPC, a global food security monitoring system, said malnutrition thresholds were crossed in two new areas of North Darfur—Um Baru and Kernoi—after the regional capital, El Fasher, fell in October 2025 and thousands fled.
December assessments found acute malnutrition levels among children of 52.9 percent in Um Baru—nearly twice the famine threshold—and about 34 percent in Kernoi. The IPC stressed the alert doesn’t mean a formal famine classification but warned conditions are getting worse fast. “These alarming rates suggest an increased risk of excess mortality,” the experts said, adding that many other conflict-hit or inaccessible areas may face similar conditions.
Um Baru and Kernoi are remote areas of northwestern North Darfur, near key displacement routes to the Chadian border. Both have absorbed civilians fleeing fighting in and around El Fasher, where conflict has destroyed markets, ruined livelihoods, and sharply cut humanitarian access. Sudan’s war, which started in April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces, has devastated food systems nationwide, causing mass displacement, market collapse, and repeated disruptions to health, water, and nutrition services.
Nearly 4.2 million cases of acute malnutrition are now expected in 2026, including more than 800,000 severe cases—a sharp jump from 2025, IPC projections show. The alert builds on earlier analyses that confirmed famine in El Fasher in 2024 and Kadugli in September 2025, and projected famine risk in at least 20 other areas. The new findings show famine-like conditions are likely spreading, driven by continued fighting, displacement, and the collapse of food, health, and water systems.
The IPC also warned of rapidly worsening conditions in Greater Kordofan, where famine was already confirmed in Kadugli. Renewed fighting since late October has displaced more than 88,000 people there, pushing total displacement above one million. Markets are among the least functional in Sudan, with food prices far above national averages. Without an immediate end to fighting and large-scale humanitarian access, preventable deaths will likely rise, IPC experts said.
