Rhino: Follow-up – The World Food Program has launched an urgent appeal for $520 million to provide life-saving food and nutritional assistance to approximately 5.4 million people in Sudan through April 2027, warning that the hunger crisis is worsening due to the ongoing war and declining humanitarian funding.

In a statement released on Thursday, November 12, 2026, the program said that the funding shortfall has forced it to scale back the scope of its humanitarian operations, at a time when the needs of families affected by conflict and displacement are increasing, food and fuel prices are rising, and the ability of millions of Sudanese to meet their basic needs is declining.

900,000 People Lost Food Aid

The program explained that as of last August, its operations were reaching more than 4 million people, including 880,000 living in areas at risk of famine.

However, financial constraints forced it, starting in September, to reduce the number of beneficiaries, resulting in approximately 900,000 people being deprived of food aid in recent months.

It noted that it is now providing aid to just over 3 million people, compared to more than 4 million last August.

19.5 Million People Face Acute Hunger

Data from the World Food Program indicates that approximately 19.5 million people in Sudan suffer from acute food insecurity, including nearly five million who face emergency levels of hunger.

Additionally, about 4.2 million women and children are at risk of acute malnutrition, while several regions, particularly in Darfur and Kordofan, remain at risk of famine.

War Hinders Aid Delivery

The program attributed the worsening crisis to ongoing fighting and mass displacement, rising food and fuel prices, as well as road closures and damage caused by flooding, and security risks that hinder the movement of relief teams.

The program’s executive director, Luke Lindberg, said that ending the fighting is an urgent necessity, warning that humanitarian aid alone cannot address the effects of the war without political action to stop it.

He added that the program has field teams inside Sudan and is prepared to expand the scope of its operations once the necessary financial resources are available.

Warnings of a Worsening Humanitarian Disaster

The new appeal comes amid one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises, following more than three years of war that has destroyed livelihoods, disrupted agricultural production, and displaced millions of people.

The decline in funding raises concerns that the humanitarian needs gap will widen, especially among children, women, and displaced people who rely directly on food and nutritional assistance to survive.

The program emphasized that securing the required funding is essential to maintaining its operations and expanding access to the most vulnerable populations across Sudan.