Food Crisis and Related Risk Factors

More than 30 million people in southern Africa will need significant food aid through the upcoming lean season, according to a new report from FEWS Net. This represents an increase of 50 percent from the 2023-2024 lean season. Conflict and extreme weather are the major drivers of the region’s growing humanitarian needs.

More than a year of conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces has weakened the country’s fragile economy. This is in addition to triggering a humanitarian crisis, loss of lives, property destruction and income disruptions.

Even before the current conflict, Sudan ranked among the poorest countries in the world. The proportion of those without access to basic necessities such as education, healthcare and proper living conditions was estimated at 52.3% of the population.

Areas of North Darfur, Sudan are very likely facing famine conditions, according to a new report from the Famine Review Committee (FRC) of the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC). The committee’s findings come after careful plausibility review of recent IPC analysis by FEWS Net and the Sudan IPC Technical Working Group.

IPC defines famine conditions as “. . . when at least one in five (or 20 percent) people or households have an extreme lack of food and face starvation and destitution, resulting in extremely critical levels of acute malnutrition and death.”

Forty percent of the population of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is currently facing IPC Phase 3 (Crisis) or above food insecurity, according to a new IPC country report. Continuing conflict, extreme weather events and other natural disasters, and displacement of large swathes of the population have all contributed to protracted food insecurity in the country.

Malawi continues to face a looming food crisis, according to the latest alerts from IPC and FEWS Net.