WFP: Hunger Threatens Over 4 Million Sudanese Refugees in Neighboring Countries

Sudan Events – Agencies

The World Food Programme (WFP) warned on Monday that more than 4 million Sudanese refugees who have fled to neighboring countries in search of food, shelter, and safety since the outbreak of war in April 2023 are now at risk of worsening hunger and malnutrition.

The warning comes amid a significant decline in life-saving food assistance due to funding shortages.

Suffering and Trauma
In a statement, WFP noted that Sudanese refugee families often arrive traumatized and malnourished, with little more than the clothes on their backs.

The organization stressed the urgent need for emergency assistance for refugees fleeing to seven neighboring countries where WFP operates: the Central African Republic, Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia, Libya, Uganda, and South Sudan.

Food Insecurity
WFP added that it has expanded its support to include host communities that have welcomed Sudanese refugees with generosity, despite already grappling with food insecurity themselves.

The UN agency warned that without new funding, food assistance for Sudanese refugees in the Central African Republic, Egypt, Ethiopia, and Libya “may be halted in the coming months.”

In Uganda, many refugees survive on fewer than 500 calories per day—less than a quarter of the minimum daily nutritional requirement. The influx of new arrivals is pushing refugee support systems to the brink of collapse.

Ration Cuts
In Chad—which hosts about a quarter of all Sudanese refugees—WFP confirmed that food rations will be reduced in the coming months unless additional funding is received soon.

“We are facing a full-blown regional crisis that is worsening in countries already struggling with high levels of food insecurity and conflict,” said Sean Hughes, WFP’s Emergency Operations Coordinator for the Sudan Regional Crisis.

He added that millions of Sudanese refugees rely entirely on WFP’s support, but without additional funding, the agency will be forced to make further cuts, “leaving the most vulnerable families—especially children—at increasing risk of hunger and malnutrition.”

WFP emphasized that children are among the most vulnerable to the long-term effects of food insecurity, noting that global acute malnutrition rates among refugee children in reception centers in Uganda and South Sudan have surpassed emergency thresholds, with many already malnourished before reaching assistance.

The agency estimates it needs over $200 million to continue its emergency response for Sudanese refugees in neighboring countries over the next six months. Additionally, it requires $575 million to carry out life-saving operations inside Sudan.

Severe Hunger
UN agencies have revealed that two out of every three people in Sudan now need humanitarian assistance—around 30 million individuals. Of these, 25 million are suffering from acute hunger, and more than 12 million are internally displaced.

On Wednesday, WFP stated that the war, now in its second year, has plunged Sudan into the world’s worst hunger crisis, with 24.6 million people facing acute food insecurity.