The United Nations warns that around 400,000 people in Sudan could need food aid because of poor rains caused by the El Nino weather phenomenon.
The El Nino saw rains in the 2015-2016 agricultural season drop significantly in parts of the country in comparison with the previous season.
“We got down to a net number of about 400 000 individuals that will be in need of food assistance” because of the low rainfall in parts of Sudan, said Marco Cavalcante, head of programme for the UN’s World Food Programme in Sudan.
The UN last month came up with a plan to respond to the effects of El Nino in Sudan, in which it estimated that a total of some 3.5 million Sudanese would be affected by the phenomenon.
The WFP had already aimed to provide around 3.8 million people in Sudan with some form of food assistance in 2016, in addition to the 400 000 who may need support because of El Nino.
The areas worst affected by drought are in eastern Sudan, East Darfur and the centre of the Kordofan region, Cavalcante said.
An extra $12.5m will be needed to fund food aid for those affected by El Nino, the WFP said.
This El Nino is expected to end towards the middle of 2016.
