The World Food Programme (WFP) has announced the return of its Sudan Country Office to Khartoum, three years after its premises were destroyed at the start of the 2023 conflict. The announcement followed a meeting between WFP Deputy Executive Director Carl Skau and Sudan’s Prime Minister Kamil Idris, with the agency’s new Country Director Abdallah Al Wardat also present. The move reflects gradual improvements in parts of the capital, where limited recovery is visible, including the reopening of the airport and the return of residents beginning to rebuild their lives.
WFP’s return is supported by the resumption of United Nations Humanitarian Air Service flights to Khartoum, which currently operate three times a week, marking improved access for humanitarian operations. However, despite some localized progress, large parts of Sudan remain affected by ongoing conflict, with an estimated 19 million people facing acute food insecurity, making it the world’s largest hunger crisis.
The agency warned that while it is ready to expand life-saving food assistance, severe funding shortages are limiting its response capacity. Last year, WFP reached 12 million people in Sudan and helped prevent famine in several areas, but those gains are now at risk as food stocks are expected to run out within weeks. The agency says it urgently requires over US$600 million to sustain operations over the next six months and continue supporting vulnerable populations, including malnourished children and mothers, while also helping communities rebuild where conditions allow.
