Famine conditions spread to more towns in Sudan’s Darfur, experts warn

Food security experts say famine thresholds for acute malnutrition exceeded in Darfur’s Um Baru and Kernoi.Published On 5 Feb 2026Acute malnutrition has reached famine levels in two more areas of western Sudan’s Darfur region, United Nations-backed experts warn, as a civil war between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese army has caused widespread hunger.In an alert issued on Thursday by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), global food security experts said famine thresholds for acute malnutrition had been surpassed in Darfur-state" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="25468" data-entity-type="location">North Darfur State’s contested areas of Um Baru and Kernoi.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4‘Like judgement day’: Sudanese doctor recounts escape from el-Fasherlist 2 of 4Sudan military claims to break siege of key Kordofan city of Kaduglilist 3 of 4Global conflicts pushing humanitarian law to breaking point, report warnslist 4 of 4The cold, hungry reality of displacement in war-torn Sudan’s Tawilaend of listThe IPC alert is not a ‍formal famine classification, but it highlights alarming levels of hunger based on the latest data.In Um Baru, the rate of acutely malnourished children aged under five was ​nearly double the famine threshold with 53 percent affected, the report said.Nearly a third of children in Kernoi suffered from acute malnutrition, it added.“These alarming rates suggest an increased risk of excess mortality and raise concern that nearby areas may be experiencing similar catastrophic conditions,” the report said.Thursday’s alert, based on data available up to February, comes nearly three months after the IPC confirmed famine conditions in El-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, and Kadugli, the capital of South Kordofan, about 800km (500 miles) to the east.El-Fasher, long the Sudanese army’s final stronghold in the Darfur region, fell to the RSF in October after 18 months of bombardment and starvation.Um Baru and Kernoi are near the border with Chad and have received some of the tens of thousands of displaced people who fled El-Fasher when it fell to the RSF. Fighting subsequently has been reported in both locations.