Number of hungry in Sudan rises above 20 million

FILE PHOTO: Sudanese girls who fled the conflict in Geneina, in Sudan's Darfur region, line up at the water point in Adre, Chad July 30, 2023. REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra/file photo

CAIRO (Reuters) - The estimated number of people facing acute food insecurity in Sudan has risen faster than expected to 20.3 million, or 42% of the population, as a conflict between rival military factions deepens a humanitarian crisis, a food security body said.

The worst hit areas include the capital Khartoum, the western region of Darfur, and parts of Kordofan, all of which have seen fighting, attacks and looting since the war broke out in mid-April, according to the Integrated Food Security Classification (IPC), a partnership of U.N. agencies, NGOs and other groups.