The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), a global food crisis monitoring body, stated on Monday that the risk of famine is escalating in Sudan's Darfur and Kordofan regions due to conflict and drought caused by El Niño. The agency noted that three years of war and drought affecting about half of the country have led to reduced food supplies, rising prices, and damaged livelihoods. According to the IPC's assessment in May this year, nearly 19.5 million Sudanese (over 40% of the total population) face high levels of acute food insecurity, with 135,000 people in Phase 5, the most severe stage, facing extreme food shortages and starvation.