In July 2024, famine struck Sudan’s Zamzam IDP camp. Over the following months, famine alerts spread to camps across Darfur and Western Nuba Mountains. Since December, famine has been confirmed in five more areas, with 17 others at risk. This marks the first global famine declaration since 2017.
The conflict has displaced 13 million Sudanese. Meanwhile, over 30.4 million need urgent humanitarian aid, according to UN data. Violence in Darfur has uprooted countless residents again, worsening food insecurity dramatically. Sudan now faces one of the worst food crises in history.
THE GROWING SCAR OF HUNGER WORLDWIDE
Sudan’s crisis is part of a wider global emergency. The 2025 Global Report on Food Crises reveals that over 295 million people in 53 countries face acute food insecurity. This number represents 22.6% of the surveyed population.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres called the report “an unflinching indictment of a world dangerously off-course.” The report highlights 36 countries suffering prolonged food crises, with 80% of their people food insecure annually since 2016. Catastrophic food insecurity has doubled worldwide from 2023 to 2024.
CHILDREN AND NUTRITION CRISIS INTENSIFY
For the first time, the report included nutrition data. It estimates 37.7 million children aged 6-59 months suffered acute malnutrition across 26 countries. These figures reveal deep-rooted, systemic failures causing persistent hunger. The report warns that overlapping crises are eroding decades of development gains. No region remains immune. Conflicts, climate shocks, and economic instability interact to devastate communities globally.
CONFLICT AND CLIMATE WORSEN FOOD INSECURITY
Increased fighting drives food crises in various regions. These include the Democratic Republic of Congo, Haiti, Sudan, South Sudan, Myanmar, and Palestine’s Gaza Strip. Gaza faces the highest food insecurity rate—100% of its population in acute shortage in 2024. Since March 2025, aid blockades have deepened the crisis there. Climate change also disrupts agriculture worldwide. Sudan suffered from drought and low rainfall, while flooding ruined crops in parts of Southern Africa, including Namibia.
ECONOMIC TURMOIL ADDS TO HUNGER THREATS
Inflation and looming trade wars exacerbate food shortages, particularly in Syria, where systemic instability fuels vulnerabilities. The UN Secretary-General emphasized that hunger cannot be blamed on a single cause. “This is more than a failure of systems — it is a failure of humanity,” Guterres said.
FUNDING CUTS JEOPARDIZE HUNGER RELIEF EFFORTS
Humanitarian food aid faces a 45% funding drop. Cindy McCain, Executive Director of the World Food Programme, warned funding shortfalls threaten all aspects of aid delivery. She fears planes may soon be grounded, limiting remote aid transport. The report stresses the need for cost-efficient, long-term strategies. It calls for aligning humanitarian aid with sustainable development to build community resilience. Treating food crises as systemic failures rather than seasonal emergencies is critical.
TOWARDS RESILIENT, SUSTAINABLE FOOD SYSTEMS
The 2024 UN Pact for the Future addresses food insecurity’s root causes. It pushes for inclusive, resilient food systems globally. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) advocates expanded investment in sustainable agriculture. Such investment is four times more cost-effective than emergency food aid but currently receives only 3% of humanitarian funding. Rein Paulsen, FAO’s Director of Emergency and Resilience, said agriculture remains an underused but powerful tool to combat hunger.
A GLOBAL CALL TO END HUNGER
In his video message on the report, Secretary-General Guterres highlighted the upcoming Second UN Food Systems Summit Stocktake in July 2025 in Addis Ababa. He called on the international community to act together on food insecurity challenges. “Hunger in the 21st century is indefensible,” he declared. “We cannot respond to empty stomachs with empty hands and turned backs.”
