Sudan’s War Turns a History of Regional Famine Into a Nationwide Crisis

Sudan’s prolonged war has transformed a history of largely regional, often climate-linked famines into a broad food crisis affecting major urban and agricultural centres, according to a report by Al Jazeera.

The conflict between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces began in April 2023 and has severely disrupted agricultural production, trade and the movement of food and humanitarian assistance. Conditions deteriorated sharply from 2024, with the crisis triggering famines in 2024 and 2025.

War disrupts food production and access

Farmers have been forced to leave their land, while damage and insecurity have made it harder to maintain agricultural activity and move supplies across the country. The crisis has reached areas including Khartoum, Gezira, Sennar, Darfur and Kordofan.

Abdullah al-Tijani said hunger and the collapse of basic services had spread throughout Sudan. He described disruption affecting infrastructure, major agricultural projects, markets, bakeries and crops, as well as banking and communications systems.

Al-Tijani also cited restrictions on humanitarian access and delays in granting transit permits for relief workers. He accused the warring parties of using control over food supplies as a tool of war and said international funding had not matched the scale of the emergency. These claims were attributed to him in the report, which did not identify which party carried out specific acts of destruction or imposed particular restrictions.

“A comprehensive food crisis has struck the heart of major urban and agricultural centres in the states of Khartoum, Gezira, Sennar, Darfur, and Kordofan,” al-Tijani said, adding that millions of people had been displaced inside and outside Sudan.

A crisis unlike earlier famines

Sudan has experienced severe food crises over several centuries. Historical accounts cited in the report describe a major crisis in 1684 during the Funj Sultanate, while other crises were recorded in 1750 and between 1835 and 1838. Drought, low Nile water levels and other environmental pressures were among the factors associated with those episodes.

The famine of 1888-1889 remains deeply embedded in Sudanese popular memory. It was linked to drought, locust infestations and conflict during the rule of Khalifa Abdullahi al-Taashi. Some historical estimates put the death toll at more than one million, although the precise number is difficult to establish.

In 1984, drought struck western Sudan, including Darfur and Kordofan, causing extensive crop and livestock losses. Hundreds of thousands of people were displaced from rural areas to Khartoum. Earlier famines were often concentrated in particular regions, allowing the capital and other major cities to retain access to basic necessities and services.

Al-Tijani said the current emergency was different because it had reached both cities and agricultural areas across several states. The source report described the crisis as man-made and brought on by war, rather than primarily by drought or other environmental shocks.

Longstanding agricultural weaknesses

Mohammed Abdul Rahman said Sudan’s food security problems also reflected a development gap and longstanding weaknesses in the agricultural sector. He said wars and armed conflicts were among the most influential factors affecting food production.

Sudan has about 200 million acres, or 81 million hectares, of arable land, along with Nile water and extensive livestock resources. Despite those assets, the country’s potential as a global breadbasket remains unfulfilled, according to the report.

The continuing conflict has compounded those structural weaknesses, leaving farmers, consumers and relief workers facing barriers across the food system. The report did not provide a specific figure for deaths linked to the current famine.