Two regions in Sudan, ravaged by over two years of civil war between paramilitary forces and the military, are now gripped by famine, according to a report from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), the leading global authority on hunger crises.
The report, released Monday, confirms famine in el-Fasher, a major city in the western Darfur region, and Kadugli, the capital of South Kordofan province in the south.
These declarations mark the first time the IPC has identified famine in these urban centers, though it had previously noted the condition in displacement camps near el-Fasher.
The ongoing violence has severely restricted access to food, water, and medical supplies, exacerbating malnutrition and displacement across the country.
Famine and the risk of famine are urgent priorities, but they are only the most severe symptoms of a far broader and deepening crisis affecting millions across Sudan, the IPC stated in its analysis covering September 2025.
The Rapid Support Forces, or RSF, besieged el-Fasher for 18 months, severing supplies to tens of thousands of residents.
Last month, the RSF captured the city, the military's last major stronghold in Darfur, amid reports of attacks that killed hundreds of civilians, though exact figures remain unclear due to disrupted communications.
In Kadugli, the RSF and allied groups have maintained a months-long siege, trapping residents as efforts to seize territory from the Sudanese military continue.
The war, which erupted in April 2023, has claimed over 40,000 lives according to United Nations estimates, though aid organizations suggest the toll could be far higher.
It has displaced more than 14 million people and sparked disease outbreaks, with el-Fasher and Kadugli suffering a total collapse of livelihoods, starvation, extremely high levels of malnutrition and death.
Famine is classified when at least two adults or four children under five die daily per 10,000 people from malnutrition-related causes, one in five households faces extreme food shortages, and at least 30 percent of young children show acute malnutrition.
Thousands have fled el-Fasher to nearby towns like Tawila, Melit, and Tawisha, which the IPC warns are now at risk of famine.
Aid workers from Doctors Without Borders reported that all 70 children under five arriving in Tawila on October 27 were acutely malnourished, with 57 percent in severe condition.
One in five of the 120 adult men screened the following day showed signs of malnutrition.
Survivors described resorting to animal fodder and hides for sustenance during the siege.
The report indicates that about 375,000 people in Darfur and Kordofan have entered famine conditions since September, while 6.3 million more face extreme hunger nationwide.
Overall, 21.2 million Sudanese, or 45 percent of the population, experienced acute food insecurity in September, a slight 6 percent decline from prior assessments.
This improvement stems from reduced conflict and better aid access in Khartoum, Gezira, and Sennar provinces following the military's recapture of key areas earlier this year.
However, conditions worsened in Darfur and Kordofan due to concentrated fighting, which has destroyed livelihoods, inflated prices, and driven further displacement.
Global aid reductions and bureaucratic hurdles have compounded the crisis, limiting support from the United Nations and other agencies.
The IPC emphasized that a ceasefire remains the only effective measure to avert further deaths and curb the spread of acute food insecurity and malnutrition.