# Famine — WATCH (worsening)
id famine · Humanitarian · horizon acute · checked 2026-11-01T11:52Z · at this level since 2026-10-31T11:26Z · stale after 2026-11-02T23:52Z
Assessed by an AI model (Anthropic Claude) against published rubrics; not a forecast or advice · CC BY 4.0 · https://canary.danleech.com/s/famine

Value: Risk-of-famine alerts: Somalia, Sudan
Rated on: IPC Phase 5 projected or 'risk of famine' alerts.
Situation: Super El Niño [super-el-nino]
Situation: Sudan war [sudan-war]

Famine confirmed in Gaza and Sudan in 2025; El Niño raises new risks in East Africa

Why it's at this level: The 2026 Global Report on Food Crises (24 Apr) confirmed famine conditions in Gaza and Sudan during 2025. FEWS NET (6 Oct) flags a risk of famine in southern Somalia if El Niño floods are extreme, and drought threatens Sudan and South Sudan. No current IPC Phase 5 classification was confirmed as of 1 Nov.

What this means for you: Humanitarian agencies report record funding gaps; reputable appeals include WFP and UNICEF.

Why it matters: Famine is the most extreme humanitarian failure, almost always man-made by conflict.
What moves it: War, sieges, aid access, harvest failure, funding cuts.

Rubric — Alert: Famine (IPC Phase 5) confirmed in at least one area. | Watch: IPC Phase 5 projected or 'risk of famine' alerts. | Normal: No IPC Phase 5 (Famine) classifications or projections.

Sources:
- Newscord — Global Report on Food Crises 2026: famine confirmed in Gaza Strip and Sudan (2026-04-24) https://newscord.org/article/global-report-on-food-crises-2026-warns-famine-confirmed-in-gaza-strip-and-sudan--Story_20260424_UNReportWarnsAcuteHu30171777
- FEWS NET — 2026–2027 El Niño food security impacts (2026-10-06) https://fews.net/global/special-report/october-2026