The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), in partnership with the Government of Sudan, has kicked off the 2025 national livestock vaccination campaign to safeguard the livelihoods of over three million pastoralists and agro-pastoralists across the country, which is currently facing a severe food crisis. Scheduled to run from October 2025 through January 2026, the campaign aims to protect approximately 9.4 million animals from deadly transboundary and zoonotic diseases, including peste des petits ruminants (PPR), sheep and goat pox (SGP), contagious bovine pleuro-pneumonia (CBPP), African horse sickness (AHS), and anthrax.
Livestock forms the backbone of Sudan’s rural economy, providing millions of people with food, nutrition, income, and livelihoods. Healthy herds are also crucial for maintaining Sudan’s status as a major livestock exporter in the region, generating vital hard currency earnings. The vaccination campaign is expected to benefit domestic and regional consumers of animal protein as well as livestock service providers within Sudan and in neighboring Arab and Gulf countries.
“This vaccination campaign comes at a critical time as Sudan faces a worsening food insecurity crisis,” said Hongjie Yang, FAO Representative in Sudan. “Protecting animal health is essential not only for safeguarding the livelihoods of pastoralist and agro-pastoralist families, but also for ensuring the availability of milk, meat, and income that millions of people rely on.” Yang added that the initiative not only protects herds but also strengthens food security, nutrition, and the national economy.
The vaccination drive responds to Sudan’s deepening food crisis. Latest analyses from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) indicate famine in parts of North Darfur, including Zamzam, Abu Shouk, and Al Salam camps, as well as in the Western Nuba Mountains for residents and internally displaced persons (IDPs). An estimated 24.6 million people are projected to face Crisis or worse (IPC Phase 3 or above) levels of acute food insecurity, including at least 638,000 people facing Catastrophe (IPC Phase 5) through May 2025.
To address access challenges, FAO is piloting cross-border vaccine delivery to Darfur and West Kordofan through Chad for the first time, in close coordination with the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and FAO Chad. This approach ensures vaccines reach vulnerable communities in hard-to-access areas.
The campaign has been made possible thanks to the generous support of the European Union (EU), the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), the China International Development Cooperation Agency (CIDCA), FAO’s Special Fund for Emergency and Rehabilitation Activities (SFERA), and other contributing donors.
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