El Niño drought raises famine risk in war-torn Sudan
A drought driven by El Niño covers about half of Sudan and is raising the risk of famine, New Scientist and Al Jazeera reported, citing a UN-backed hunger monitor. Hunger in two Darfur camps has passed famine levels. Experts quoted by New Scientist say El Niño cuts the rains that crops need.
A drought linked to the record El Niño now covers roughly half of Sudan and is raising the risk of famine in a country already torn by war, New Scientist and Al Jazeera reported, citing the UN-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, or IPC. Two displacement camps in Darfur have passed famine thresholds, with New Scientist citing hunger levels and Al Jazeera citing acute malnutrition.
New Scientist reported that the IPC said hunger and disease have killed hundreds of people, most of them children. The IPC warned that "food insecurity, acute malnutrition and excess mortality will likely intensify," Al Jazeera reported. Almost 29 million people, 62% of the population, are eating less or going hungry, New Scientist reported.
El Niño weakens Pacific trade winds and shifts the atmosphere in a way that pushes air downward over the Sahel, New Scientist reported, citing a 2025 review paper. "That descent warms and dries the air, inhibiting upward motion of the air masses that produces summer monsoon rainfall," said Emily Black of the University of Reading, according to New Scientist. Ninety percent of Sudan's farming relies on rain rather than irrigation, New Scientist reported.
Poor plant growth affects nearly two-thirds of cropland in North Darfur, Al Jazeera reported. The war, which began in April 2023, has killed at least 150,000 people, according to conflict monitor ACLED, Al Jazeera reported. "It would not take much to tip it," said Manon Radosta of CARE, an IPC member, according to New Scientist. Donors have given $1.25 billion of the $2.87 billion the UN says Sudan needs this year, New Scientist reported.
The El Niño is still strengthening and could bring heat waves across the tropics next spring, said Liz Stephens of the University of Reading, according to New Scientist. "We're loading the dice for some really extreme heat next year across the Sahel," Stephens said.
What we know: The IPC says El Niño drought and war are pushing parts of Sudan toward famine, with famine-level hunger in two Darfur camps.
What we don't: Whether a full famine will be declared and whether aid funding will close the gap.
Where outlets agree New Scientist and Al Jazeera report that the IPC says El Niño-driven drought is raising the risk of famine in Sudan.
Where they differ The outlets cited here report the same key facts so far.