Sudan fighting halts food aid in famine-hit Zamzam camp, WFP warns of starvation

February 26, 2025 (PORT SUDAN) – Intense fighting in Sudan’s North Darfur region has forced the World Food Programme (WFP) to suspend life-saving food and nutrition assistance in the Zamzam camp, where famine has been declared, the agency said on Tuesday.

Escalating violence over the past two weeks compelled WFP’s partners to evacuate staff, halting distributions to the camp’s estimated 500,000 displaced residents.

“Without immediate assistance, thousands of desperate families in Zamzam could starve in the coming weeks,” said Laurent Bukera, WFP’s Regional Director for Eastern Africa and acting Country Director for Sudan, in a statement. “We must resume the delivery of life-saving aid in and around Zamzam safely, quickly and at scale. For that, the fighting must stop, and humanitarian organizations must be granted security guarantees.”

In February, the WFP and its partners provided food vouchers to only 60,000 people before heavy shelling forced a pause in operations earlier this month. The vouchers allow families to purchase essential supplies from local markets that WFP helps stock.

The recent violence has destroyed Zamzam’s Central Market, further hindering residents’ access to food and supplies.

Famine was confirmed in Zamzam last August. Since then, the WFP has delivered only one convoy of humanitarian supplies to the camp, hampered by poor road conditions, obstruction by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), and fighting between the RSF and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), which are affiliated joint forces.

The closure of the Adre border earlier this year also prevented the WFP from stockpiling food in Zamzam, which would have ensured consistent support.

“We will leave no stone unturned in our efforts to assist millions of people facing famine or at risk across Sudan,” Bukera said.

To mitigate the impact of access constraints, the WFP has launched an online self-registration link for digital cash transfers in North Darfur.

The WFP has also reported breakthroughs in delivering aid to hard-to-reach areas, including parts of Gezira State and Khartoum, for the first time since the conflict began.

In 2024, the WFP reached two out of every three people in famine or at-risk areas. However, access remains sporadic, and two million people in 27 locations across Sudan are currently experiencing, or on the brink of, famine.

The WFP emphasized that regular, monthly deliveries are crucial to avert widespread starvation in Sudan.