By Peter Omopo – New York | August 8, 2025
The United Nations has raised a red flag over the worsening humanitarian crisis in Sudan, revealing that desperate civilians in the besieged region of El Fasher are now eating animal feed to survive.
Speaking at the UN Headquarters in New York on Thursday, UN Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq painted a grim picture of life in Sudan’s conflict-ridden areas, particularly in El Fasher, where food shortages have reached catastrophic levels and prices have skyrocketed.
“With increasingly alarming food shortages and spiralling prices, people in El Fasher are reported to be resorting to eating animal feed,” Haq said. “It’s an increasingly catastrophic situation.”
According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), El Fasher now has the highest cost of basic goods in Sudan, with monthly household expenses soaring to nearly $1,000. Over $700 of that figure is spent on food alone—more than eight times the cost in other regions of the country.
The crisis is further compounded by the fact that no aid has been able to reach the region by road in over a year due to the ongoing siege, leaving thousands on the brink of starvation.
OCHA’s Director of Operations and Advocacy, Edem Wosornu, who is currently in Sudan, described the humanitarian suffering as immense. “People are trapped, displaced, or returning to shattered communities,” she said. “Unimpeded humanitarian access is urgently needed to reach those at the frontlines of this hardship.”
In addition to the hunger crisis, the UN also sounded the alarm over a growing “gender emergency” affecting displaced women and girls.
“This crisis is a gender emergency,” said Salvator Nkurunziza, UN Women’s representative in Sudan. “Displaced women and girls face heightened risks of exploitation and abuse, particularly in areas where aid delivery lacks adequate protection mechanisms.”
The UN reiterated its call for a pause in hostilities and immediate humanitarian access to the hardest-hit areas, warning that without intervention, the situation could spiral further out of control.
