With the war in Sudan marking its second anniversary, the World Food Programme (WFP) said decreasing global funding resources are further complicating the dire hunger situation in the country.
WFP's Sudan regional emergency coordinator Sean Hughes said: "Two years since the onset of the war, Sudan has now become the world's largest hunger crisis.
"Nearly half the population are acutely food insecure.
"Famine has taken hold in parts of Darfur and is spreading. In order to turn the tide, WFP needs access in order to reach people that have been isolated by the conflict and we also need funding."
The UN World Food Programme warned in March that 58 million people were at risk of extreme hunger or starvation unless urgent funding for food aid is secured, after drastic shortfalls from donors so far this year, including the US.
The Rome-based agency said it faced a 40% slump in donations in 2025 compared to last year, adding that the shortfall threatened feeding programmes for in 28 crisis zones around the world, including Gaza, Sudan, Syria and Congo.
Famine conditions have been reported in at least five locations in Sudan, including displacement camps in Darfur, a UN statement has said earlier this year, and this was set to worsen with continued fighting and the collapse of basic services.
Sudan's Rapid Support Forces (RSF) seized control of a major camp for displaced people in North Darfur, the paramilitary group said on Sunday, after a four-day assault the government and aid groups have said left hundreds dead or wounded.
The fighting has centred around the Zamzam camp, which, along with the nearby Abu Shouk camp, hosts some 700,000 people displaced by Sudan's war.
The assault has destroyed shelters, markets, and healthcare facilities, aid groups said.
The war in Sudan erupted in April 2023, sparked by a power struggle between the army and the RSF, shattering hopes for a transition to civilian rule.
The conflict has since displaced millions and devastated regions like Darfur, where the RSF is now fighting to maintain its stronghold amid army advances in Khartoum.
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Project Co-ordinator for Médecins Sans Frontières Dr Lisa Searle has also described the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Sudan amidst the war as "absolutely horrific".
Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, she said that "humanitarian corridors are frequently blocked and the humanitarian aid is not able to get to the people that need it".
She said that "the amount of humanitarian aid that's being provided is not enough, but there are systematic and concerted efforts by both warring parties, the Rapid Support Forces and the Sudanese armed forces, to block assistance from getting to people".
Dr Searle said that the "disregard for human life and the sort of acceptance of this level of human suffering that we're seeing by both the warring parties is extreme and the impact really is on the civilians".
She said the cut of USAID funding has had a "devastating effect".
Dr Searle said at least 70% of health structures across Sudan are no longer functioning to full capacity, and many of them are not functioning at all.
"The government's support and the government infrastructure in many parts of the country has almost completely broken down and there is no provision of government health services," she added.
