Sudan's war, which has pitted the army against the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) since April 2023, has created what the UN describes as the world's largest hunger crisis.

In a joint statement, the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), the World Food Programme (WFP) and the UN's children agency UNICEF said about 19.5 million people -- or two in five Sudanese -- are now experiencing crisis levels of hunger.

The figures come from the latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) report, released on Thursday by the UN-backed hunger monitor.

"Hunger and malnutrition are threatening millions of lives," said WFP Executive Director Cindy McCain, calling for urgent international action to "stop this crisis from becoming an even greater tragedy".

The conflict, now in its fourth year, has killed tens of thousands and displaced more than 11 million people.

After the RSF seized El-Fasher, the army's last stronghold in western Darfur, last October, fighting spread to neighbouring Kordofan and southeastern Blue Nile state, near the Ethiopian border.

Drone attacks have intensified, killing at least 880 civilians since January, according to the UN.

About 350,000 people were newly displaced between October 2025 and March 2026, driven by insecurity in El-Fasher, Kordofan and Blue Nile, the UN said.

The IPC report warned that 14 areas in Darfur and South Kordofan are at risk of famine if fighting escalates or access to food worsens. Around 135,000 people are already facing catastrophic hunger.

The current figure of 19.5 million is slightly lower than last October's estimate of more than 21 million, when famine was confirmed in El-Fasher and in Kadugli, the capital of South Kordofan.

The army retook Kadugli in February, while El-Fasher has been largely depopulated.

Children are among the hardest hit. The IPC estimates that 825,000 children under five will suffer from severe acute malnutrition in 2026, up 7 percent from 2025.

"Children... arrive at overstretched facilities too weak to cry," said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell, warning that "more children will die" without urgent action.

The IPC also warned that tensions in the Middle East are compounding the crisis, with rising food, fuel and fertiliser prices.