Darfur faces famine after 90 per cent crop failure
19 emergency rooms report drought has devastated crops, forcing thousands of families from their homes across the region.
19 agricultural emergency rooms across Darfur say the current farming season has failed, raising fears of famine. Drought and irregular rainfall have devastated crops, and Justice Africa Sudan estimates harvest losses of around 90 per cent in key sorghum-producing regions. Jalal Eddin Abkar Yousif told Radio Dabanga that 2026 is one of the worst years Sudan has experienced, because of low rainfall and drought across very large parts of the country.
The emergency rooms first aimed to cultivate more than 1,800 feddans, but the target fell to 1,100 feddans because of limited resources, insufficient rainfall and inadequate funding. Intermittent rain caused poor germination and weak growth, and drought killed crops in some cultivated areas. Thousands of families have fled Mershing for Tawila, Shangil Tobaya and Nierteti, while others have crossed into Chad.
Adam Rijal, an official spokesperson for the body coordinating displaced people and refugees in Darfur, said about 538 families, totalling 3,227 people, arrived between 15 October and 6 November, according to field monitoring. Justice Africa Sudan is calling for an immediate, unconditional nationwide ceasefire and unhindered humanitarian access, warning that more than 75 per cent of Sudanese face acute food insecurity while aid has declined.
Why it mattersThousands of Darfur families have lost their harvests and livelihoods, and about 3,227 people from 538 families have arrived in new areas since mid-October.