US, Europe and allies warn Sudan faces famine risk in coming months, urge warring parties to let aid through

As of 6:13 p.m. ET, Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2026

The United States, the European Union's crisis commissioner and 30 other governments have warned that Sudan faces a risk of famine in the coming months and called on the country's warring parties to remove obstacles to humanitarian aid.

"Sudan is experiencing an alarming deterioration in its food security," the joint statement said. "There is no time to lose to save lives and prevent famine." The State Department released the text on Monday, Oct. 26, in a media note. The British government and the European Commission's humanitarian office had published it on Oct. 23.

According to the State Department, the statement was released by European Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management Hadja Lahbib and the governments of Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States. Massad Boulos, senior adviser for Arab and African affairs, signed for the United States, according to the British government's signatory list.

What the statement says

An estimated 19.5 million people, 41% of Sudan's population, face high levels of acute food insecurity, including 5 million at emergency levels, the statement said, citing the risk of famine flagged by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, the UN-backed hunger monitor. Without immediate action, it said, the number of children with severe acute malnutrition "could exceed the projected 825,000," and the number of food-insecure areas, first assessed at 14, is expected to double.

The signatories called conflict "the key driver" of the crisis and said it is being made worse by "systematic obstruction of aid" and an El Niño-linked drought affecting more than half the country. They said "the parties to the conflict bear primary responsibility" and urged them to:

• authorize aid through all cross-line and cross-border routes, including air access into Darfur;
• protect aid workers and cut delays on visas, customs clearance and permits;
• refrain from strikes on civilian infrastructure, including agriculture and food systems;
• strengthen civil-military coordination to keep humanitarian staff and sites safe.

The statement also called on other countries to "urgently scale up funding" and on development and financial institutions to focus on the areas of greatest need, including by supporting the winter cropping season.

One year since El Fasher

In a separate statement on Monday, members of the Coalition on Atrocity Prevention and Justice for Sudan marked the first anniversary of the Oct. 26, 2025, violence in and around El Fasher, which they said followed months of siege and attacks by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. The statement, issued by Canada, Denmark, the European Union, France, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, Sierra Leone, Sweden and the United Kingdom, cited "mass killings, ethnically motivated killings, summary executions, torture" and widespread sexual violence.

"There is no military solution to this conflict. The war must end," the coalition said. It called on all states to stop arming and financing the war and to respect the UN arms embargo on Darfur, and said it supports accountability efforts including the International Criminal Court's work on Darfur.

Sudan's army and the RSF have been at war since April 2023. The conflict has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced more than 13 million, Al Jazeera reported.