The World Food Programme (WFP) has launched large-scale food and nutrition distributions in Sudan, aiming to assist over 1 million people in the coming weeks amid worsening violence, mass displacement, and famine risk. In North Darfur’s Tawila, more than 220,000 people—part of the 300,000 who recently fled horrific violence in El Fasher and Zamzam IDP Camp—are now receiving food aid. The first convoys, carrying 1,600 metric tonnes of supplies, have reached the town, with more aid being mobilized as the number of displaced continues to rise.
This marks a significant escalation in WFP’s operations, which now include the first food distributions in central Khartoum since the outbreak of conflict two years ago. Aid efforts have also begun in Alazhari, a high-famine-risk neighborhood in southern Khartoum, targeting 20,000 people.
The humanitarian operation is part of WFP’s broader plan to reach all seven localities of Greater Khartoum, scaling up assistance from 4 million to 7 million people per month—though this still falls short of the country’s overall needs.
However, the aid agency warns of looming challenges. The upcoming rainy season, coupled with severe funding shortfalls, threatens to derail operations. Without urgent support, pipeline breaks could lead to drastic cuts in food distributions, precisely when needs are expected to spike during the lean season.
Sudan’s civil conflict, marked by brutal fighting between the military and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), has displaced over 8 million people, creating one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.
