Sudan’s historical famine echoes through latest hunger crisis

What Happened

Al Jazeera reports that Sudan’s current war-driven food crisis is being compared to the country’s historical famines, with the article stating that the conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) — ongoing since April 2023 — has triggered famines in 2024 and 2025. Unlike past crises caused mainly by drought and environmental shocks, the current famine is described as man-made: war has disrupted agricultural production and trade, forced farmers from their land, and hindered movement of food and humanitarian aid. Social historian and humanitarian activist Abdullah al-Tijani told Al Jazeera that the crisis is unprecedented in scale, striking Khartoum, Gezira, Sennar, Darfur, and Kordofan and displacing millions. He accused the warring parties of using control over food supplies as a tool of war, citing systematic destruction of infrastructure, disruption of agricultural projects, targeting of markets and bakeries, and restrictions on humanitarian access. Economic researcher Mohammed Abdul Rahman said that wars and armed conflicts are among the most influential factors on food production, compounded by displacement of farmers, weak funding, and reliance on traditional farming methods.

Key Actors

Why It Matters

The crisis is strategically significant because it is man-made and nationwide, unlike earlier regional climate-driven famines, despite Sudan possessing roughly 200 million acres of arable land and abundant Nile water. The collapse of food production and services across major urban and agricultural centres — Khartoum, Gezira, Sennar, Darfur, and Kordofan — is driving mass internal and external displacement and may deepen regional instability, while international funding is reported as falling short of the crisis scale.

Watch For

Monitor IPC famine classifications and UN OCHA displacement updates for specific localities; track whether the SAF or RSF alter humanitarian access, transit permits, or attacks on markets and bakeries in Khartoum, Gezira, Sennar, Darfur, and Kordofan; note funding pledges against the 2025 humanitarian response plan; and watch for diplomatic initiatives such as the Jeddah talks or other mediation efforts aimed at securing aid corridors or ceasefires.