Vetted by NeuralPress's Multi-Agent Verifier for strict factual validity and event relevance. Our compliance engine cross-checks and filters search results to ensure zero false correlations or misleading content.
Population Affected by Catastrophic Conditions (Phase 5)
The number of people facing Phase 5 hunger conditions in 2026.
Primary Sources
Sudan war fuels child hunger crisis - dw.com
"The reality for children in Sudan is growing darker hour by hour," Eva Hinds, spokeswoman for the UN's children's agency (UNICEF), said last week as the country's civil war entered its fourth year. The conflict broke out in April 2023 between the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) following the collapse of a fragile transition to civilian rule after Sudan's 2019 uprising. Fighting has since spread across much of the country, devastating cities and displacing more than 13 million people, the World Health Organization reported. More than 4,300 children have been killed or maimed since the war began, according to UNICEF, with Darfur and Kordofan states accounting for the highest numbers. Children, women indiscriminately targeted Ashan Abeywardena, emergency response manager at War Child, an organization working to ensure a safer future for every child caught up in war, said the conflict had had a severe impact on minors. "Going through three years of conflict has had a massive impact on these children and women. Children's daily lives are shaped by news of death and destruction," Abeywardena told DW. Many of the deaths and injuries have been caused by indiscriminate drone attacks — a weapon that is increasingly used by both sides in the conflict. "Drones are killing and wounding girls and boys in their homes, in markets, on the roads, near schools and health facilities — all places that should never be targets," UNICEF's Hinds told reporters. "In the first three months of this year, nearly 700 civilians were reportedly killed in drone strikes," UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher said. Both the RSF and SAF have used drones to attack civilian infrastructure in a bid to slow the advance of their opponents. The effect is that hospitals, roads, and schools have been destroyed, further worsening the plight of the civilian population.Humanitarian crisis spills over into East Africa The effects of the war are being felt throughout East Africa. DW Kenya correspondent Andrew Wasike said the conflict is no longer seen as contained within Sudan. "In East Africa, the war is not just a distant conflict. It's both a humanitarian catastrophe and a regional security problem," Wasike said, adding that displacement, disrupted trade routes and political tensions are weighing on neighboring countries. "The conversation is no longer only about Khartoum or Darfur. We are all feeling the impact," he added. Sudan's civil war — t...
World food systems 'pushed to the brink' by extreme heat, UN warns
Extreme heat is threatening the world’s food systems, with farmers unable to work outside, livestock experiencing stress and crop yields falling, putting the livelihoods of more than a billion people in peril, the UN has warned.Experts said food supply in some areas was being “pushed to the brink” by increasingly common and severe heatwaves, on land and at sea, in a major report written jointly by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).Farmers could find it impossible to work safely for as many as 250 days of the year – more than two-thirds of the time – in already hot regions including much of India and south Asia, tropical sub-Saharan Africa and swathes of Central and South America.Livestock are already experiencing an increase in mortality rates, as heat stress begins for common species at about 25C. Extreme heat reduces yields from dairy cows and cuts the fat and protein content of milk. Pigs and chickens are unable to sweat and, as temperatures rise, face digestive tract breakdowns, organ failure and cardiovascular shock.Yields begin to decline at temperatures above 30C for most agricultural crops, with damage including weakened cell walls and the production of toxins. The yields of maize in some areas have declined by about 10%. Wheat has fallen by nearly as much, and is projected to decline further as temperatures rise to more than 1.5C above preindustrial levels.Ocean heatwaves are also killing fish, as heat reduces the level of dissolved oxygen in the water, leading to mass decline in populations.Much more could be done to warn farmers, as heatwaves are often predictable, according to the report published on Wednesday. Weather forecasts and mobile phone communications could be used to alert farmers when extreme weather is expected.Richard Waite, the director of agriculture initiatives at the World Resources Institute thinktank, who was not involved in the report, said it was crucial to start adapting to rising temperatures now, by giving farmers the tools, knowhow and early warnings to help them anticipate and protect against extreme weather.“Without adaptation, extreme heat will cut crop and livestock yields, forcing more land into agriculture to maintain food production. That would drive even higher emissions from land use change, which in turn would make climate impacts on agriculture even worse,” he said. “What’s needed is the opposite: scaling solutions that help farmers maintain and sustai...
Three years of war in Sudan: A crisis the world can't ignore
Three years into Sudan's war, survivors and human rights defenders are struggling to respond to overwhelming needs amid widespread violence, displacement, and limited global attention. As horrific violations and abuses intensify and those documenting them become targets, calls for accountability and sustained international engagement grow more urgent.
Humanitarian Situation Report | 23 April 2026 | United Nations Office ...
In a new report covering 2025, UN Women notes that across Gaza and the West Bank, women and girls remained in urgent need of lifesaving humanitarian protection and assistance, including access to food, clean water, shelter, health care, and education.
