Millions in Sudan Surviving on One Meal a Day as Food Crisis Deepens, Warn NGOs

Khartoum/Geneva— Millions of people in war-torn Sudan are now surviving on just one meal a day, with many families going entire days without food and resorting to eating leaves and animal feed, according to a new joint report released by five leading humanitarian organizations.
The report, titled “What it Takes to Eat: Conflict and Sudan’s Fragile Food System”, was launched on Monday by Action Against Hunger (ACF), CARE International, International Rescue Committee (IRC), Mercy Corps, and the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC). It highlights how three years of brutal conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has systematically dismantled the country’s entire food system.
In the hardest-hit areas of North Darfur and South Kordofan, families are forced to risk their lives crossing active battlefields just to farm, trade, or access food. Community kitchens are struggling, portions are being cut, and many people are skipping meals entirely.
According to the 2026 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan, 61.7% of Sudan’s population — 28.9 million people — are facing acute food insecurity, with over 10 million in severe or extreme conditions. The report warns that famine risks are growing and the crisis threatens to spread further amid economic collapse and restricted humanitarian access.
The NGOs urged all parties to the conflict to immediately stop actions that drive hunger, including blocking aid and targeting civilians, and called for urgent international support to prevent a larger catastrophe in what is already one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.