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Sudan's war keeps deepening while Hormuz shipping choke-off threatens East Africa's food
Sudan is the world's most severe emergency. Nothing in the past week says it is easing. OCHA projects 33.7 million people need assistance in 2026. The war between the army and the Rapid Support Forces continues with no ceasefire. A UN Fact-Finding Mission found in February 2026 that the RSF committed genocide against non-Arab communities and used starvation as a weapon. Iran's war with the US and Israel is re-escalated since July, with Hormuz traffic at roughly 15 transits a day versus 110 before the war (standing record, 2026-07). Explosions were heard in Ethiopia's capital this week after drone flights were banned (BBC, 2 Oct 2026).
The two crises worsen each other. Gulf ports supply wheat and fuel to East Africa and the Horn; choked Hormuz traffic and global food prices at their August 2026 highs raise import costs for Sudan, Ethiopia and Yemen. In Yemen, fighting resumed around Hodeidah in July and 18.3 million people are acutely food insecure (OCHA, 2026 HNRP). Donors and logistics teams should pre-position grain and fuel through Djibouti and Port Sudan before prices climb further, and negotiators should keep aid crossings into Gaza fully open.
Watch items
- Sudan — RSF could besiege El Obeid, cutting food for North Kordofan's civilians
- Iran — Hormuz shipping choke-off could raise wheat and fuel prices across East Africa
- Haiti — Gangs could expand from Port-au-Prince into Artibonite's farming towns