Food aid cuts leave 900,000 in Sudan without support, UN food agency says
The World Food Programme says its coverage has fallen from more than four million people in August to just over three million, as funding shortfalls force it to cut assistance.
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An estimated 900,000 vulnerable people in Sudan have lost food assistance as funding cuts force the World Food Programme (WFP) to scale back its work. The agency was helping more than four million people in August; it now reaches just over three million.
The cuts began in October and are scheduled to last through the end of 2026, WFP says. Those losing assistance include an estimated 500,000 refugees. Most families still receiving aid get rations covering only 50 percent of their minimum food needs.
Conflict and funding obstruct aid
Sudan’s civil war began in 2023 and has displaced millions of people. WFP says displacement, violence and restrictions on movement in conflict-affected areas disrupt livelihoods and access to food. Separately from the funding shortfall, insecurity, blocked roads and flood damage are hampering aid deliveries.
After his first field mission to Sudan, WFP’s new Executive Director Luke Lindberg warned that funding cuts were worsening the hunger crisis. He met displaced families struggling to feed their children, UN News said.
WFP says it urgently needs $520 million to provide food and nutrition assistance to 5.4 million people through April 2027. Lindberg called for an end to the fighting and greater international support, saying collective action and additional resources could turn the crisis around and that WFP has teams on the ground ready to expand assistance with additional resources.
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