Famine threshold for Child Malnutrition surpassed in two North Darfur zones, IPC Warns

The famine threshold for acute child malnutrition has been surpassed in two additional localities in Sudan’s North Darfur State, as conflict, mass displacement and restricted humanitarian access continue to drive a rapidly deteriorating crisis, according to a new alert issued by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) Global Initiative.

The IPC Alert, published on 5 February 2026, reports that global acute malnutrition (GAM) rates among children aged six to 59 months reached 52.9 percent in Um Baru and 34 percent in Kernoi, both well above the famine threshold of 30 percent. Severe acute malnutrition (SAM) prevalence was estimated at 18.1 percent in Um Baru and 7.8 percent in Kernoi

The report attributes the worsening conditions to escalating conflict following the change in control of El Fasher town in late October 2025 and the subsequent expansion of Rapid Support Forces (RSF) units into surrounding areas. As a result, thousands of civilians have fled urban centres for rural areas or toward the Chadian border along the El Fasher–Kutum–Um Baru–Kernoi–Tine corridor

At least 127,000 people were displaced from El Fasher town and nearby villages as of mid-January 2026, according to displacement tracking data cited in the alert. Kernoi town is reported to be “largely deserted,” while residents of Um Baru are avoiding staying overnight because of insecurity

Access to lifesaving health and nutrition services remains severely constrained across North Darfur. In Um Baru, children suffering from severe acute malnutrition, including those with medical complications, have extremely limited access to treatment. In Kernoi, “only 25 percent of identified SAM cases were enrolled in treatment programmes.”

The IPC Alert also warns that the crisis is deepening across Greater Kordofan, where renewed fighting has disrupted food production, markets and access to basic services. More than 88,000 people have been displaced in the region since late October 2025, pushing the total number of internally displaced persons in Greater Kordofan to over one million

Nationwide, acute malnutrition is expected to worsen further in 2026, with nearly 4.2 million cases projected among children under five and pregnant or breastfeeding women—an increase from 3.7 million cases recorded in 2025. More than 800,000 of these cases are expected to be severe

While the IPC Alert does not constitute a formal famine classification, it states that the available evidence points to a heightened risk of excess mortality and that a new IPC analysis should be conducted without delay. IPC warns that without an immediate cessation of hostilities and a large-scale humanitarian response, preventable deaths are expected to rise and famine conditions may spread further. This development comes at a time when the humanitarian situation in the country is deteriorating, with access for humanitarian actors becoming increasingly restricted as the fighting continues to spread and prospects for a truce remain uncertain. Both the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have been accused of obstructing humanitarian access. Most recently, a World Food Programme (WFP) aid convoy was struck by a drone attack, an incident the United States has condemned as “sickening.”