World Food Programme’s troubles in Sudan hurt hunger relief efforts, alienated donors, says internal report

Serious problems in the UN World Food Programme’s response to the Sudan crisis are hampering the organisation’s ability to alleviate hunger in the war-torn country and damaging its reputation with donors, according to a recent internal report seen by Reuters.

As the UN’s main food-aid distributor, the WFP is struggling to feed millions of people in the African country, which is suffering one of the world’s worst hunger crises. The report identifies a range of problems in the WFP’s Sudan response, including an inability to scale up its operations, missed funding opportunities and what it describes as “anti-fraud challenges”.

The report is the result of an assessment in July and August by the WFP’s Regional Emergency Coordination (REC) team, which was tasked with helping to expand the UN body’s operations in Sudan and neighbouring countries. The team’s findings are detailed in a five-page “REC Diagnostic Report” marked “confidential” and dated 30 August.

The report calls Sudan the WFP’s largest emergency.

News of the report comes as the WFP is struggling to secure billions of dollars for hunger hot spots around the world and is battling a crisis of confidence among major donors, including the United States. In Sudan, roughly half the population of 50 million is estimated to be suffering from severe hunger amid the civil war that has ravaged the country since April 2023. Hundreds are believed to be dying from starvation and hunger-related disease each day.

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“The WFP’s reputation for rapid emergency response has been damaged,” says the report of its Sudan operation. “Key stakeholders, including key donors, are now demanding concrete progress before committing additional funding.”

Asked about the report, WFP Deputy Executive Director Carl Skau didn’t address its specifics, but told Reuters that the WFP and other humanitarian agencies weren’t prepared for the sudden crisis in Sudan. “It took us too long to actually get back on our feet and deliver in an effective and efficient and principled way,” said Skau in an interview in Cairo on Monday. “I’m confident that the WFP is there now and that we are doing everything possible.”

The official said that over the past few months, the WFP has put in place the strongest leadership available for its Sudan response, bolstered teams in area offices and reviewed its strategy to reach people in need. The WFP has some 700 trucks on the roads in Sudan, he added.

It has reached over two million people in Sudan with cash-based assistance this year.

“We always want our colleagues to provide honest assessments,” said Skau. “And the spirit is always that we then address that.”

A WFP spokesperson didn’t respond to detailed questions from Reuters about the report’s findings.

The WFP’s internal report also criticises overly optimistic targets for distributing aid. The Sudan office’s initial target of reaching 8.4 million people in need was “deemed unrealistic” and posed a “reputational risk” to the organisation. “Current projections suggest that the WFP may only be able to fulfil around 50 per cent of its current implementation plan by October 2024,” concluded the report.

It said that an analysis of agreements between the WFP and its food-distribution partners found “excessively high operational costs irrespective of the quantities distributed.” High costs and “unrealistic planning” resulted in payments to non-government organisations that “achieved less than five per cent” of their distribution targets.

In August, Reuters revealed that the WFP is investigating two of its top officials in Sudan over allegations including fraud and concealing information from donors about its ability to deliver aid.

The emergency coordination team’s report on Sudan has been shared with the WFP’s inspector general’s office, which is conducting the probe, because it covers problems related to the fraud investigation, according to people familiar with the matter.

The team’s report has not been shared with donors, they said.

The WFP had no comment on the Sudan fraud investigation’s status. It previously told Reuters that it is investigating “allegations of individual misconduct related to irregularities in pockets of our operation in Sudan” but declined to describe the suspected wrongdoing.

Among the issues identified by the emergency coordination team in its report were delays in reporting and addressing what it termed “Anti-Fraud and Anti-Corruption” incidents. In August, there were nearly 200 cases either overdue or still pending, “posing reputational and operational risks,” according to the report. It doesn’t elaborate on the cases.

The team’s report is accompanied by a two-page “Action Plan” dated 23 September. The measures outlined include revising aid targets, rebuilding relations with donors and the World Bank, and establishing a task force to clear the backlog of fraud and corruption probes.

The WFP describes itself as the world’s largest humanitarian organisation. It won the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize for its role in combating hunger and promoting peace.

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