world 14 September 2026 Daily Monitor (Uganda)
WFP funding for Sudan crisis halves as millions face escalating hunger
The World Food Programme's (WFP) funding for Sudan has been cut by approximately half this year, severely limiting its ability to address the world's largest hunger crisis as conflict displaces millions and drives up food prices. Source: https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/news/world-food-programme-funding-for-sudan-plummets-as-more-go-hungry-head-says-5595038
The acting head of the World Food Programme (WFP), Carl Skau, has revealed a drastic drop in funding for Sudan, which is currently grappling with the world’s most severe hunger crisis. Skau stated that this year’s funding is roughly half of what the WFP received last year, leaving a significant gap of nearly $300 million needed to sustain current operations.
“This year, we’re about half what we were in terms of funding last year,” Skau told Reuters, speaking from the Darfur region. Last year, the WFP received $645 million, but as of September 2026, only $206 million has been secured.
The ongoing war between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has devastated the country, displacing up to 14 million people, destroying agriculture, and collapsing the economy. Consequently, nearly 20 million people are facing hunger. However, due to budget cuts, the WFP is forced to prioritize the 5 million most vulnerable individuals, recently scaling up to reach 4 million.
Even with this scaled-up effort, the WFP is making difficult choices. In Tawila, North Darfur, where about a million people reside in makeshift settlements, the WFP can only provide half rations, covering two weeks of food per month. Skau expressed concern, stating, “It’s not clear how they really are surviving the other two weeks.”
Similarly, in El Obeid, a central Sudanese city hosting over a million refugees since April 2023, aid is becoming scarcer, with the WFP only able to assist those who arrived in recent months. Skau noted, “A year ago it was better because of resources.”
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is also facing dire funding shortfalls, with emergency relief supplies for hundreds of thousands of displaced people expected to run out by the end of September. The broader aid system is at risk of collapse by December without immediate financial intervention. IOM estimates that $15 million is urgently needed to maintain aid operations for the remainder of the year.
This decline in funding comes as major donor countries, including the United States, have reduced foreign assistance. The IOM Director General, Amy Pope, warned, “The entire humanitarian system could collapse within weeks if we don’t act now.”
According to the IOM, 8.6 million people remain internally displaced within Sudan, while 4.9 million have returned to their homes.