FAMINE conditions have spread in Sudan’s North Darfur region and are likely to continue throughout October due to the ongoing civil war, which has been raging for over 15 months, a global authority on food security has warned.

Published on Thursday, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) report found that it is plausible that parts of North Darfur, especially the Zamzam camp, are experiencing “the worst form of hunger,” known as IPC Phase 5.

The IPC partnership comprises more than a dozen United Nations agencies, aid groups and governments that use it as a global reference for analysis of food and nutrition crises.

IPC Phase 5 is declared in areas where at least one in five people or households severely lack food and face starvation and destitution, which would ultimately lead to critical levels of acute malnutrition and death.

Sudan plunged into war over a year ago when fighting began between the military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. 

As a result of fighting in the capital Khartoum, the military leadership largely operates from near the Red Sea coast.

The conflict has pushed huge numbers of people into starvation and created the world's largest displacement crisis, with more than 10 million forced to flee their homes since April 2023, according to the UN migration agency. 

Over two million have fled to neighbouring countries.

The Famine Early Warning Systems Network echoed the IPC report, saying on Thursday that there was “reasonable evidence” that famine thresholds had been passed in June in the Zamzam camp. 

However, the evidence is limited, making it hard to confirm or deny this classification, the network added.

The IPC said that the famine conditions in Zamzam camp were fuelled by the conflict and “severely restricted humanitarian access.”

The United States and Saudi Arabia have invited the two sides to ceasefire talks in Switzerland this month.