El Niño drought threatens millions in Sudan and Ethiopia

Severe drought conditions linked to El Niño are exacerbating humanitarian crises in Sudan and Ethiopia, threatening millions with hunger and livestock loss.

In Sudan, record heat and the lowest rainfall in over 30 years have devastated rain-fed agriculture. North Darfur recorded its lowest rainfall since 1984, while North Kordofan and Gedaref state have also seen historic dryness. The World Food Programme expects the drought to push an additional 350,000 people into severe hunger by the end of 2026, with that number potentially rising to 1.2 million by August 2027. This climate crisis compounds the existing devastation caused by over three years of civil war.

In Ethiopia, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) reports that drought has affected 3.5 million people across six regions. The failure of the Belg and Kiremt rainy seasons has resulted in significant cropland damage, the death of thousands of livestock, and the drying of hundreds of water points. In regions such as Oromia, Amhara, and Tigray, hundreds of thousands of people are in urgent need of assistance. Despite the scale of the crisis, the World Food Programme reports it has received only 46 percent of the funding required to meet the needs of those affected.