The United Nations warns of worsening famine crisis in Sudan.

Nineteen heads of international humanitarian organizations, including twelve UN agencies, issued a stark warning, stating that increasing obstacles hindering the rapid and widespread delivery of aid could lead to more deaths. They urged warring parties to protect civilians, facilitate humanitarian access, and adopt a nationwide ceasefire in Sudan. Despite escalating needs due to the war, relief workers still face systematic obstacles and deliberate denial of access by conflict parties. Concerns were raised about declining funding levels to respond to the crisis, with only 16% of the $2.7 billion humanitarian appeal for Sudan funded after almost five months. UN agencies reported that over eight million people have fled their homes due to the raging war in Sudan, marking the world’s largest displacement crisis, with at least 14,000 people killed. Approximately 18 million people in the country already suffer from high levels of hunger, with 3.6 million children experiencing acute malnutrition. These children are at extreme risk, being “10 to 11 times more likely to die” compared to adequately fed peers. Nearly 860,000 people were denied humanitarian aid in March and April, with movements across conflict lines to parts of Khartoum, Darfur, Jazeera, and Kordofan halted since mid-December. Delivering aid has become extremely difficult and dangerous, with relief workers facing killings, injuries, harassment, and looting of humanitarian supplies. Moreover, the closure of the Adre border crossing from Chad to western Darfur in February has significantly reduced aid delivery in Darfur to a “meager level.”