Report No.: TYFA-SDN-FSN-001/2026

Reporting organisation: The Youth Future Alliance (TYFA)
Country: Sudan
Sector: Food Security and Nutrition
Reporting date: 24 September 2026
Status: Public Humanitarian Situation Report
Verification level: Secondary-source verified information supplemented by TYFA field observations

Sudan's Food Security and Nutrition Crisis: Conflict, Displacement and Humanitarian Access

1. Background

Sudan's armed conflict, which began in April 2023, has severely affected civilian livelihoods, food production, markets, health services, water systems and humanitarian operations.

The broader humanitarian situation remains extremely serious. UNICEF reported in August 2026 that approximately 33.7 million people require humanitarian assistance, including 17.3 million children, while approximately 9.14 million people were internally displaced. UNICEF

Food insecurity represents one component of this wider humanitarian emergency. According to FAO, conflict has disrupted livelihoods, damaged important economic infrastructure, constrained humanitarian access and caused large-scale displacement. FAO GIEWS

2. Current Food Security Situation

The May 2026 IPC analysis estimated that around 19.5 million people were experiencing high levels of acute food insecurity during February–May 2026.

The population was classified approximately as follows:

These classifications should be interpreted carefully. The IPC did not classify an area of Sudan as being in Famine in this analysis. Instead, it identified 14 areas as being at risk of famine if conditions deteriorated, including through intensified conflict, increased displacement, reduced food access and deterioration of health and WASH services. IPCinfo

There are also significant information gaps. The IPC reported that its June–September 2026 and October 2026–January 2027 analyses covered a substantially smaller geographical area than its February–May assessment because of analytical and access constraints. IPCinfo

Consequently, the absence of current data for a particular locality should not automatically be interpreted as evidence that humanitarian conditions there have improved.

3. Areas of Particular Concern

The available humanitarian evidence identifies parts of Darfur and Kordofan as areas of particular concern.

FAO's September 2026 assessment reports that 14 areas across North Darfur, South Darfur and South Kordofan remain at risk of famine during the lean season under a worst-case scenario. FAO GIEWS

North Darfur is especially concerning because of the interaction between displacement, food insecurity and humanitarian access.

WFP reported on 22 September 2026 that nearly one million displaced people were in Tawila, approximately 75 kilometres from El Fasher, and warned that reductions in humanitarian assistance were threatening populations heavily dependent on external support. World Food Programme

This demonstrates that humanitarian need cannot be measured solely through food availability. Physical access to markets, humanitarian assistance, health services, water and livelihoods is also critical.

4. TYFA Direct Field Observations

Source classification: PRIMARY — TYFA FIELD OBSERVATION

TYFA field observations indicate that conflict-affected communities in areas where TYFA personnel or community representatives have access are experiencing increasing difficulty securing adequate food and maintaining normal livelihoods.

TYFA field teams/community observers have reported the following conditions:

• households reducing the quantity and frequency of meals;
• increasing dependence on relatives, neighbours and community support mechanisms;
• displacement disrupting normal farming and income-generating activities;
• rising difficulties obtaining essential food commodities;
• families prioritising children's food needs while adults reduce their own consumption;
• vulnerable households experiencing particular difficulty coping with increased food and transport costs; and
• conflict and insecurity affecting movement between communities, farms, markets and essential services.

Important verification note: These observations constitute information collected directly through TYFA's field/community network. They should not be extrapolated to represent all communities in Sudan unless supported by systematic data collection.

Where TYFA has not independently verified an incident or statistic, the organisation should explicitly record it as:

"Reported to TYFA but not independently verified."

This distinction is essential for maintaining the evidentiary integrity of TYFA reporting.

5. Child Malnutrition

Children are particularly exposed to the effects of food insecurity.

FAO, WFP and UNICEF estimated in May that approximately 825,000 children under five were expected to suffer severe acute malnutrition during 2026, representing a seven per cent increase compared with 2025. World Food Programme

UNICEF subsequently reported that during the first half of 2026 it and its partners screened approximately 5.3 million children for acute malnutrition and admitted 174,737 children with severe acute malnutrition for treatment. UNICEF noted that lower reported admissions compared with the same period in 2025 were largely associated with access constraints, reporting limitations and service disruptions, particularly in Darfur and South Kordofan. UNICEF

Malnutrition also interacts with other humanitarian conditions. In May, FAO, WFP and UNICEF reported that around 40 per cent of health facilities were non-functional, approximately 17 million people lacked safe drinking water, and around 24 million lacked adequate sanitation. World Food Programme

These overlapping pressures increase risks for already vulnerable children and families.

6. Humanitarian Access and Assistance

Humanitarian organisations continue to operate in Sudan, but insecurity, access restrictions and funding shortages constrain their ability to respond at the scale required.

WFP currently reports reaching more than four million people per month, including approximately two million people in hard-to-reach and severely affected areas of Darfur and around 825,000 people in Kordofan. World Food Programme

However, funding remains a significant concern. UNICEF reported that by June 2026 it had mobilised approximately US$351 million against its 2026 humanitarian appeal, leaving a 64 per cent funding gap. UNICEF

WFP also reported on 22 September that shrinking humanitarian funding was forcing reductions in food assistance to conflict-displaced populations in Sudan and neighbouring countries. World Food Programme

7. Agricultural and Livelihood Impact

The crisis extends beyond emergency food distribution.

FAO's latest assessment raises concerns about Sudan's 2026 cereal production, citing insecurity, shortages of agricultural inputs and below-average rainfall in important agricultural areas. In Sennar and Gedaref—states that together normally produce roughly a quarter of Sudan's sorghum output—seasonal rainfall was reported at approximately 20 and 30 per cent below the long-term average respectively. FAO GIEWS

Damage to agricultural livelihoods can have consequences beyond the immediate conflict period because households may lose seeds, livestock, agricultural equipment, access to land and income needed for subsequent planting seasons.

Supporting agricultural livelihoods should therefore accompany emergency food assistance where security and access permit.

8. TYFA Humanitarian Assessment

Based on the combination of published humanitarian evidence and TYFA's field observations, The Youth Future Alliance considers food insecurity and malnutrition to be among the most urgent humanitarian concerns affecting Sudanese civilians.

TYFA's observations are broadly consistent with the wider pattern documented by humanitarian agencies: conflict and displacement are affecting people's ability to produce food, earn income, reach markets and obtain humanitarian assistance.

However, TYFA emphasises that conditions vary significantly between states, localities and communities. Further field-level documentation is required before drawing conclusions about conditions in locations where reliable information remains limited.

Particular attention should be given to displaced households, children under five, pregnant and breastfeeding women, older people, people with disabilities, female-headed households and communities isolated by conflict or access constraints.

9. Priority Humanitarian Needs

TYFA identifies several immediate priorities based on the evidence reviewed and its field observations: sustained access for humanitarian food and nutrition assistance; treatment and screening for acute malnutrition; protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure; restoration of water, healthcare and market access; support for local food production and agricultural livelihoods; and stronger support for Sudanese community-based humanitarian organisations.

Humanitarian assistance should be provided according to assessed need and established humanitarian principles, without discrimination.

10. Methodology and Evidence Classification

To maintain transparency, TYFA uses the following evidence categories in this report.

Level A — Direct TYFA Observation: Information directly documented by authorised TYFA personnel or designated field monitors.

Level B — TYFA Community Source: Information provided directly to TYFA by community representatives, humanitarian volunteers, affected households or witnesses. Such information should be corroborated where possible.

Level C — Verified External Source: Information published by recognised organisations such as UN agencies, IPC or established humanitarian organisations.

Level D — Unverified Report: Information received by TYFA that could not yet be independently corroborated. Such information should not be presented as established fact.

No Level D allegation should be used to identify an alleged perpetrator publicly without additional verification and appropriate protection assessment.

11. Limitations

Security conditions and humanitarian access restrictions prevent comprehensive data collection across Sudan.

This report therefore does not claim to provide a nationwide field assessment.

National statistics cited in this report originate from the identified humanitarian organisations. TYFA has not independently reproduced the nationwide surveys underlying those estimates.

TYFA field observations represent the communities and locations actually reached by its field network and should not automatically be generalised to other parts of Sudan.

Information may also change rapidly because of displacement, conflict, seasonal conditions and changes in humanitarian access.

12. Conclusion

Sudan's food security emergency remains severe.

The latest IPC evidence indicates that approximately 19.5 million people were experiencing Crisis-level or worse acute food insecurity, while 135,000 people were classified at Catastrophe level. Fourteen areas across Darfur and Kordofan remain at risk of famine under specified deterioration scenarios. FAO GIEWS

TYFA's field observations add a community-level perspective to these national assessments, including reports of reduced meals, disrupted livelihoods, increased dependence on community support and difficulties accessing food and markets.

Continued documentation is necessary, particularly in communities where humanitarian access and reliable information remain limited.

The Youth Future Alliance (TYFA) will continue documenting humanitarian conditions where it has field access and will distinguish direct observations, community reports and externally sourced information in future publications.

References

1. FAO — Sudan Country Brief, 24 September 2026
2. Integrated Food Security Phase Classification — Sudan food security analysis
3. IPC — Major food and nutrition crisis persists in Sudan
4. WFP, FAO and UNICEF — Joint Sudan food-security statement, 15 May 2026
5. UNICEF — Sudan Humanitarian Mid-Year Situation Report 2026
6. WFP — Sudan Emergency
7. WFP — Shrinking aid and Sudan's hunger crisis, 22 September 2026

Prepared by: The Youth Future Alliance (TYFA)
Programme: Humanitarian Monitoring and Community Reporting
Report reference: TYFA-SDN-FSN-001/2026
Date: 24 September 2026
Country: Sudan
Contact/website: theyfa.com