97% of Khartoum Families Face Food Insecurity, Aid Groups Say

3 December 2025

Children in Khartoum and conflict zones are the first victims of malnutrition in Sudan

December 3, 2025 (KHARTOUM) – Ninety-seven per cent of households in Khartoum are facing food insecurity as the conflict-hit city struggles with a collapsing health system and soaring prices, a new assessment by international aid groups showed on Wednesday.

The report, released by Medical Teams International and Norwegian Church Aid (NCA), paints a grim picture of life in the Sudanese capital, where daily caloric intake has dropped below 1,800 calories for nearly three-quarters of the population.

“Our assessments show that 97% of households in the Khartoum region are now facing food shortages, and that daily caloric intake has dropped sharply,” said Dirk Hanekom, NCA Country Director in Sudan.

The conflict, which erupted in April 2023, has decimated the economy. With average monthly incomes falling to around $20 and inflation surpassing 500%, the report found that 72% of families are borrowing food and 69% are skipping meals to survive.

Health sector collapse

The joint assessment, conducted between August and September 2025, gathered data from over 1,250 households and revealed that only 43% of medical centres in the capital remain functional. Of those, only 14% can provide safe delivery services for pregnant women.

Supply chains have broken down, leaving 70% of facilities without antibiotics and 85% without antimalarial drugs. The collapse in services has driven Global Acute Malnutrition (GAM) rates to 19.3%, up from 7.4% before the crisis.

Social and environmental crisis

The deteriorating economic situation has forced women and girls into desperate measures. The report recorded a spike in early and forced marriage rates, rising from 9% to 24%, while 17% of respondents reported engaging in “survival sex” to secure basic necessities.

Municipal services have also largely ceased. Waste collection coverage has plummeted from 68% before the war to just 9%, while open defecation has risen to 46% in some areas, creating a breeding ground for disease.

“Amid unimaginable hardship, Khartoum’s residents and returnees are fighting to survive and rebuild,” said Birhanu Waka, Country Director of Medical Teams International in Sudan, calling for urgent international funding to support the crumbling health system.