Sudan Conflict at Three Years: Civilians Are Trapped in a War with No End in Sight 

As Sudan marks three years of conflict on 15 April, new Mercy Corps analysis highlights severe disruption to one of Sudan’s most critical food-producing regions, Al Jazirah, raising alarm as millions face deepening hunger amid relentless violence and collapsing safety nets.   

Cultivated land has fallen sharply in recent growing seasons, while conflict and insecurity are disrupting irrigation, transport routes, and access to markets. Before the conflict, Al Jazirah produced approximately 45 percent of Sudan’s sorghum and more than half of its wheat. Even where food is available, families are increasingly unable to afford or safely access it. 

More than 33 million people require humanitarian assistance, while nearly 4.2 million children and pregnant or breastfeeding women are expected to face acute malnutrition in 2026. Continued drone strikes on critical civilian infrastructure, including hospitals and markets, are intensifying an already catastrophic situation that has displaced millions and brought more families dangerously close to starvation, with more areas in Greater Darfur and Greater Kordofan at risk of tipping toward famine. 

As Sudan approaches a critical planting season, rising fuel costs along with threats to fertilizer supplies driven by global shocks risk further undermining food production and driving hunger and malnutrition even higher as conflict grinds on and farmers struggle to plant and harvest safely.  

Miji Park, Mercy Corps Country Director for Sudan, says: 

“After three years of relentless war, Sudanese families are living not only with violence, but with the collapse of the systems that keep them alive, from food production and markets to healthcare, water, and safe movement. 

“Women and children continue to endure some of the worst consequences, facing displacement, hunger and physical violence that should shock the conscience of the world. For millions, survival now depends on navigating active conflict simply to find food. We are hearing from mothers who are risking their lives daily to feed their families. One woman said, ‘You leave your children in the house. You go out in the middle of gunfire...just to bring them something to eat.’  

“As donors prepare to gather in Berlin, the priority must be clear: protect civilians, protect civilian infrastructure, and secure safe and sustained humanitarian access. Funding must match the scale of this crisis—not only to deliver life-saving assistance but also to sustain markets, agriculture, and basic services that families depend on to survive. Without urgent and sustained investment, more lives will be lost and recovery will be further out of reach. 

“Now is the moment for decisive action, urgent funding, and the political will to respond at the scale this emergency demands. We must ensure these warnings are not repeated next year with even more lives lost.” 

Mercy Corps is calling on all parties and the international community to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure, ensure sustained humanitarian access, and scale up funding for both life-saving assistance, including cash, and recovery. Without immediate and sustained investment in agriculture, markets, and basic services, the systems that keep people alive will continue to collapse.  

Mercy Corps has worked in Sudan since 2004. Through our ongoing response across 10 states, we are working to meet urgent needs and support community recovery despite ongoing conflict. Our teams are providing cash and voucher assistance to displaced families, helping farmers increase food production, and supporting local markets to keep essential goods moving. We are also partnering with local responders through the Cash Consortium of Sudan to deliver lifesaving aid and strengthen community resilience in the face of one of the world’s most complex humanitarian emergencies.   

Notes to Editors 

• Mercy Corps analysis highlights severe disruption in Aj Jazirah, one of Sudan’s most important food-producing regions. Before the war, Aj Jazirah accounted for roughly 45 percent of Sudan’s sorghum and more than half of its wheat, making its decline a major threat to national food security.
• Mercy Corps analysis also warns that rising fuel costs and threats to fertilizer supply driven by the war in the Middle East could deepen pressure on food production and prices. 
• In a Mercy Corps-supported screening campaign in Nyala in February 2026, 10,915 children were screened, with 92 identified with severe acute malnutrition and 460 with moderate acute malnutrition. Among 1,834 pregnant and breastfeeding women screened, 581 were identified as malnourished. 
• A new joint NGO report shares first-hand experiences across four states revealing that the war in Sudan is driving communities toward famine by making access to food increasingly dangerous.  

For more information or media enquiries, please contact:  

Grace Wairima Ndungu, Senior Africa Media & Communications Manager, in Nairobi, at gndungu@mercycorps.org  

Natalie Fath, Director of Communications (based on the East Coast, U.S.), at nfath@mercycorps.org  

Our full media team is reachable at allmediarelations@mercycorps.org