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War and drought together are pushing tens of millions toward famine from Sudan to the Sahel

Sudan is the worst crisis on our watch today. Its civil war between the army and the Rapid Support Forces continues, with no ceasefire in sight, and the UN has found the RSF used starvation as a weapon against non-Arab communities (UN Fact-Finding Mission, Feb 2026). Some 33.7 million people need assistance this year (OCHA, 2026 HNRP). Drought now also grips 13 African countries from Congo to Somalia (GDACS, as of 5 Oct 2026). In Yemen, fighting killed more children in recent weeks than in years (War Child, Sep 2026), and 18.3 million people do not have enough food (OCHA, 2026 HNRP).

These crises now reinforce each other. The Iran war has choked the Strait of Hormuz, the main Gulf shipping lane, down to roughly 15 transits a day against about 110 before the war. That cuts the grain and fuel imports East African and Yemeni ports depend on, exactly when drought has weakened local harvests. In Gaza, the October 2025 ceasefire holds only on paper: hospitals still lack fuel and medicines a year on (MAP (Medical Aid for Palestinians), Oct 2026). Aid agencies with grain stocks in the region should move them toward drought-hit areas now, before shipping costs rise further. Donors must fund Yemen and Sudan before the year-end gap widens.

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