WFP chief urges end to Sudan fighting as funding cuts leave 900,000 without food aid

November 12, 2026 (KHARTOUM) – The head of the U.N. World Food Programme called on Thursday for an immediate end to the protracted conflict in Sudan, warning that the agency cannot “outfeed the war” after funding shortfalls forced it to cut food assistance to 900,000 people.

WFP Executive Director Luke J. Lindberg made the appeal at the conclusion of his first field mission in the role, during which he visited displacement camps in Kosti, White Nile state, a school meals site, and met with families uprooted by the fighting.

“People facing acute hunger have three unfortunate choices: rebel, migrate or starve,” Lindberg said in a statement. “It is time for world, national, and local leaders to do their part and call for an end to conflict. We cannot outfeed the war.”

The agency said funding constraints forced it to begin reducing its caseload in September, cutting off an estimated 900,000 vulnerable people over the past few months.

The WFP is currently reaching just over three million people in Sudan, down from more than four million in August, which had included 880,000 people in areas at risk of famine.

The agency said it urgently requires $520 million to provide lifesaving food and nutrition assistance to 5.4 million people through April 2027.

Ongoing violence, mass displacement, and surging food and fuel prices have driven what the agency described as the world’s largest humanitarian crisis. Insecurity, blocked routes, and washed-out roads further hamper aid deliveries.

During his trip, Lindberg also held bilateral meetings with local, state, and federal officials to urge a halt to the hostilities.

“In the simplest of terms, peace opens the door to food while conflict opens the door to hunger,” Lindberg said, adding that WFP teams on the ground remain ready to scale up operations if additional resources and collective action are secured.