Sudan Expels Top UN Food Officials as Conflict Deepens and Hunger Crisis Worsens
Sudan’s military authorities have expelled two senior officials from the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) amid escalating conflict and a worsening humanitarian crisis that has left millions on the brink of famine.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that WFP Country Director Laurent Bukera and Head of Operations Samantha Chattaraj had been declared personae non gratae and ordered to leave the country within 72 hours. The government said it remains open to working with international organisations “in accordance with state sovereignty and international law,” but offered no clear explanation for the expulsions.
The move comes as Sudan’s war between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) enters its second year, devastating large parts of the country and forcing millions to flee. Entire regions such as Darfur and Kordofan have been cut off from aid, while attacks on convoys and looting of supplies have become commonplace.
According to the WFP, more than 24 million Sudanese roughly half the population, are now facing acute food insecurity. Humanitarian agencies have warned that any further disruption could have catastrophic consequences. The expulsion of senior WFP leaders threatens to slow aid operations, disrupt coordination, and reduce oversight at a time when relief work is already strained by insecurity and access restrictions.
Aid groups have long accused both the SAF and RSF of obstructing deliveries to areas under rival control, using hunger as a weapon of war. Recent reports indicate that humanitarian trucks have been seized and aid workers attacked or detained, further crippling relief efforts. The expulsion reflects growing tension between Sudan’s rulers and international organisations. The government has bristled at UN reports suggesting famine conditions in several regions, dismissing them as “politically motivated.” Observers say the move may be part of a broader effort to tighten control over aid operations and limit external scrutiny.
Donor nations and the UN have expressed concern over the decision, urging Sudan’s authorities to reverse course and ensure unimpeded humanitarian access. “At a time when millions are starving, this is a devastating setback,” one Western diplomat said. With the conflict showing no signs of abating and aid pipelines at risk, the expulsion marks another blow to a country teetering on the edge of collapse. For millions of Sudanese civilians trapped between warring factions, the fight for survival is growing ever more desperate.