Kadugli Breathes: International Report Says ‘Famine Risk’ Declines After Siege Lifted

The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) said Wednesday that the risk of famine in Kadugli, capital of South Kordofan State, has declined weeks after the army lifted the siege on the city, though severe hunger persists.
On January 26, the army broke the siege on Al-Dalang before advancing a week later to lift the blockade on Kadugli, allowing humanitarian aid and commercial supplies to reach civilians after more than two years of isolation.
In November, the IPC— a UN-supported global monitor of hunger crises—had declared famine conditions in Kadugli and said Al-Dalang faced similar circumstances, though insufficient data prevented it from being formally classified as a famine zone.
In its latest report, the IPC said food security analysis in Sudan shows that the situation in Kadugli and Al-Dalang has shifted from a potential famine classification to a food emergency, with some households still facing catastrophic food insecurity.
The report noted that the change reflects that the technical thresholds defining famine are not currently met, rather than a fundamental improvement in food security conditions.
According to the report, breaking the sieges of Al-Dalang on January 26 and Kadugli on February 3 allowed commercial supplies and humanitarian convoys to enter the two cities, including a shipment of around 700 metric tons of aid delivered on February 20 to provide food for about 70,000 people.
The arrival of supplies led to a sharp decline in food prices. The price of a sack of sorghum fell from between 800,000 and 900,000 Sudanese pounds to about 40,000 pounds, while the price of a kilogram of sugar dropped from 16,000 pounds to 3,000 pounds. Flour prices also declined from about 80,000 pounds per kilogram to around 6,000 pounds.