The United States, the European Union, and a coalition of 30 countries have issued a stark warning regarding the “alarming deterioration” of food security in Sudan, calling for immediate international intervention to prevent a catastrophic famine. In a joint statement released through the U.S. State Department on Monday, the signatories demanded that the warring factions involved in Sudan’s civil war remove all existing barriers to humanitarian assistance.
The international group, which includes major powers such as Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, and Germany, emphasized that the parties to the conflict hold the primary responsibility for the welfare of the Sudanese population. The European Commissioner for equality, preparedness, and crisis management also joined the call for urgent action. According to the coalition, the risk of famine in the coming months has reached a critical threshold that requires a coordinated global response to avert a mass loss of life.
Sudan has been embroiled in a violent power struggle since April 2023, when tensions between the national army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) escalated into open warfare. The dispute originated over the proposed integration of the two forces, with the capital city of Khartoum serving as the initial flashpoint. Since then, the conflict has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths and the displacement of more than 13 million people, creating what international monitors describe as the world’s largest hunger and displacement crisis.
Data from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), a United Nations-backed hunger monitoring system, indicated that as of June, approximately 5.1 million people in Sudan were already experiencing severe hunger. Without a significant shift in humanitarian access and funding, the joint statement warned that the number of children suffering from severe acute malnutrition could soon surpass 825,000.
The crisis has been compounded by environmental factors and the collapse of the local agricultural sector. Farmers across the country have struggled to plant and harvest crops due to the ongoing violence. Additionally, a severe drought linked to the El Niño weather pattern has significantly reduced available food supplies and driven up market prices, leaving basic staples out of reach for much of the population.
To combat the looming famine, the coalition is urging both the Sudanese army and the RSF to permit humanitarian operations to proceed across all front lines and borders. A key component of this request is the establishment of reliable air access to the Darfur region, which has been particularly isolated by the fighting. The nations also called for the protection of humanitarian personnel and the cessation of attacks on civilian infrastructure that supports the delivery of food and medical supplies.
Beyond immediate logistical access, the statement called on the international community to scale up funding to meet the rising needs of the Sudanese people. This diplomatic pressure comes as the U.S. State Department recently clarified its position on the warring parties, stating that neither the Sudanese army nor the RSF represents a legitimate or constitutional government for the nation.
