IPC Confirms Famine in el-Fasher and Kadugli as Sudan Crisis Deepens

Famine confirmed in two more Sudanese localities as conflict fuels humanitarian catastrophe

The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), the international authority on hunger crises, announced Monday that famine has been confirmed in el-Fasher in Darfur and in Kadugli town in South Kordofan, as Sudan’s conflict creates the world’s largest humanitarian emergency.

El-Fasher endured an 18-month siege by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) that choked off food and essential supplies to tens of thousands. The IPC reported that the RSF seized el-Fasher last week and that attacks reportedly killed hundreds, although limited communications make a full accounting difficult. Kadugli has also been besieged for months, trapping tens of thousands as the RSF seeks to expand territory contested with Sudan’s regular military.

“A total collapse of livelihoods, starvation, extremely high levels of malnutrition and death,” the IPC said of conditions in el-Fasher and Kadugli.

The IPC uses strict scientific thresholds to declare famine: mortality from malnutrition-related causes of at least two people (or four children under five) per 10,000 per day; at least one in five people or households facing extreme food deprivation and imminent starvation; and acute malnutrition among children under five of 30% by weight-for-height or 15% by mid-upper-arm circumference.

The agency has confirmed famine only a few times previously, most recently in northern Gaza earlier this year, and earlier in Somalia (2011) and South Sudan (2017 and 2020). In Sudan, the IPC had earlier declared famine in five locations: three large refugee camps near el-Fasher that emptied as RSF forces advanced, and parts of South and West Kordofan that later fell under RSF control.

The new report warns that nearby towns — including Tawila, Melit and Tawisha — are now at heightened risk. It estimates roughly 375,000 people had been pushed into famine in Darfur and Kordofan by September, while another 6.3 million across Sudan face extreme levels of hunger. Overall, the IPC said more than 21 million people — about 45% of the population — faced acute food insecurity as of September.

That figure represents a slight decline (6%) from the previous IPC report covering December 2024 to May 2025, driven largely by reduced fighting and improved humanitarian access in Khartoum, Gezira and Sennar after the military regained control and allowed more than one million displaced people to return home.

The report also noted Dilling in Kordofan has reportedly experienced conditions similar to Kadugli but was not officially classified as famine because of insufficient data.

Human toll and urgent appeal: Since large-scale fighting began in April 2023, U.N. figures put the death toll at more than 40,000, though aid groups warn the true number may be significantly higher. The conflict has displaced over 14 million people and driven disease outbreaks across the country.

The IPC urged a ceasefire, calling it the only measure that can prevent further loss of life and help contain extreme acute food insecurity and malnutrition. Humanitarian agencies continue to warn that without secure access and sustained assistance the situation will deteriorate further.

AP correspondent Sam Mednick in Rome contributed to this report.