11-17 January 2026 Sudan News Summary: hunger, disease, and aid shortages across Sudan

18 Jan

Arabic news roundup

By William Greenwood

The General Coordination of Displaced Persons and Refugees in Darfur announced on Friday an increase in deaths due to hunger, malnutrition, and the widespread outbreak of diseases linked to the lack of food and clean water within Darfur's IDP camps.
Adam Rijal, spokesperson for the General Coordination of IDP and Refugee Camps in Darfur, stated in a press release that food shortages have reached deadly levels, particularly among children, women, and the elderly in Darfur's IDP camps, attributing this to what he described as a dangerous decline in the volume of humanitarian aid and its inability to meet even the most basic needs.
Rijal added that the camps are witnessing deaths due to hunger and malnutrition, as well as a widespread outbreak of diseases linked to the lack of food and clean water.
He pointed out that the population is entirely dependent on humanitarian aid, which has become scarce, while humanitarian organisations and host communities are left to face a worsening catastrophe alone, without any international response commensurate with the scale of the tragedy.

Hundreds of patients and wounded individuals in the city of Dilling, South Kordofan State, are living in dire conditions due to medicine shortages and a lack of medical care, a situation which arose after most hospitals and health centres were rendered inoperable by artillery shelling and drone attacks.
The city is currently experiencing continuous artillery and drone bombardment by the RSF and their allied Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) forces, resulting in dozens of deaths, injuries, and the destruction of service facilities.
Health sources stated that patients, particularly war-wounded individuals in Dilling, are facing catastrophic conditions due to the lack of medicine and medical care, a consequence of the deteriorating state of the health sector.
The source indicated that hospitals in Dilling are experiencing a severe decline due to shortages of medicine and medical supplies resulting from the targeting of the health system, which in turn has contributed to complications among the wounded.
Another source revealed a daily increase in the number of wounded in Dilling due to the shelling, at a time when hospitals and health centres are experiencing a severe shortage of medicines and medical supplies.
From: Darfur24

English news roundup

By Samuel Hunt

The UN World Food Programme (WFP) warns that food stocks in Sudan will be depleted by the end of March unless urgent new funding is secured.
WFP says it has already been forced to cut rations to the “absolute minimum for survival”, with millions of children pushed to the “brink of survival” amid severe funding shortfalls and ongoing fighting.
According to the UN, more than 21 million people, almost half of Sudan’s population, are facing acute food insecurity, and two-thirds of the population urgently need humanitarian assistance.
WFP says it urgently needs $700 million to sustain operations through June, warning that previous humanitarian gains in hard-to-reach areas could be reversed without immediate donor support.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk has called for an international “all-out effort” to enable aid delivery, as displaced families lack shelter, women have limited access to services, and insecurity continues to block assistance.

Sudan’s military-led government has formally returned to Khartoum after nearly three years operating from Port Sudan, following the army’s recapture of the capital from the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) last year.
Prime Minister Kamil Idris said the government would begin efforts to restore electricity, water, healthcare and education in a city where basic services are barely functioning and large areas remain in ruins after prolonged fighting.
As the government re-establishes itself in the capital, the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) are renewing a major military campaign to retake territory in Kordofan and Darfur, seeking to weaken remaining RSF strongholds.
Despite government declarations that 2026 will be a “year of peace”, international mediation efforts have stalled, both sides stand accused of atrocities, and foreign involvement continues to fuel the war.

Bill Greenwood