Acute malnutrition among children has reached catastrophic levels in parts of Sudans North Darfur and Greater Kordofan, UN-backed analysts warned on Thursday, as conflict, mass displacement and denials of aid push the country deeper into a famine-risk emergency

Sudan is now the worlds most severe humanitarian emergency, the UNs top relief official warned on Tuesday, urging donors and diplomatic partners to act swiftly as the fighting nears a third year with no end in sight

Atrocities in Sudans Darfur region are spreading from town to town in an organized campaign of violence that includes mass executions, rape and ethnic targeting, amounting to war crimes and crimes against humanity, the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court told the UN Security Council on Monday

According to analertfrom the IPC, a global food security monitoring system, thresholds for acute malnutrition were surpassed in two new areas of North Darfur Um Baru and Kernoi following thefall of the regional capital, El Fasher, in October 2025 and a massive exodus

December assessments found acute malnutrition levels among children of 529 per cent in Um Barunearly twice the famine thresholdand about 34 per cent in Kernoi

The IPC stressed that the alert does not constitute a formal famine classification but warned that conditions are deteriorating rapidly and action is urgently needed

These alarming rates suggest an increased risk of excess mortality,the experts said, adding that many other conflict-affected or inaccessible areas may be facing similarly catastrophic conditions

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Um Baru and Kernoi

Um Baru and Kernoi are in remote areas of northwestern North Darfur, near key displacement corridors leading toward the Chadian border

Both areas have absorbed large numbers of civilians fleeing fighting in and around El Fasher, wconflicthas shattered markets, disrupted livelihoods and sharply curtailed humanitarian access

Sudans war, which erupted in April 2023between the once-allied Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), has devastated food systems nationwide, triggering mass displacement, market collapse and repeated disruptions to health, water and nutrition services

Across the country, nearly 42 million cases of acute malnutrition are now expected in 2026, including more than 800,000 cases of severe acute malnutrition, representing a sharp increase from 2025 levels, according to IPC projections

What the alert means

The IPC alert is intended to draw urgent attention to the worsening conditions and does not introduce any new formal classification

It builds onearlier IPC analyses that confirmedfamine (IPC Phase 5) in El Fasher, North Darfur in 2024, andKadugli, South Kordofan, in September 2025 and projected famine risk in at least 20 other areasacross greater Darfur and greater Kordofan

The new findings indicate that famine-like conditions are likely spreading beyond previously assessed locations, driven by continued fighting, displacement and the collapse of food, health and water systems, IPC analysts said

Greater Kordofan at risk

The IPC also warned of rapidly deteriorating conditions across Greater Kordofan, w famine was already confirmed in Kadugli and severe conditions were projected in Dilling and the Western Nuba Mountains

Renewed fighting since late Octoberhas displaced more than 88,000 people in the region, pushing total displacement above one million Markets t are among the least functional in Sudan, with food prices far above national averages

Without an immediate end to the fighting and large-scale humanitarian access,IPC experts said preventable deaths are likely to rise