Severe Food Shortages Push Civilians to Eat Animal Feed in Sudan

As food shortages worsen in Sudan, desperate civilians are resorting to eating animal feed, while women and girls face a “gender emergency,” UN officials warned on Thursday.

The city of El Fasher, in particular, is severely affected, with hunger escalating. The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) issued a warning about the deteriorating situation, which is putting more lives at risk.

UN Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq reported the alarming food shortages at the UN Headquarters in New York, saying, “With increasingly alarming food shortages and spiralling prices, people in El Fasher are reported to be resorting to eating animal feed in what is becoming an increasingly catastrophic situation.”

El Fasher is grappling with the highest cost of basic goods in the country, with households spending nearly $1,000 per month, far beyond the means of most families. Over $700 of this amount is spent solely on food, which is more than eight times the cost of basic food items elsewhere in Sudan.

“These steep costs, coupled with a year-long blockade preventing aid delivery by road, have left thousands on the brink of starvation,” Haq added.

Calls from the UN Secretary-General and Emergency Relief Coordinator for a pause in the fighting have become even more critical, Haq noted.

Meanwhile, OCHA’s Director of Operations and Advocacy, Edem Wosornu, currently in Sudan, described the suffering as immense, with many people trapped, displaced, or returning to devastated communities. She emphasized the urgent need for unhindered access to deliver support to those on the frontlines of hardship.

UN Women, the UN’s gender equality agency, also raised concerns about the disproportionate impact on women and girls. “This crisis is a gender emergency,” said Salvator Nkurunziza, the agency’s representative in Sudan. He warned that displaced women and girls are particularly vulnerable to exploitation and abuse, especially as aid is delivered in areas where protection mechanisms are weak or nonexistent.