The UN World Food Programme (WFP) is urgently expanding its emergency food and nutrition assistance in Sudan amid the threat of famine, as conditions for civilians deteriorate and fighting intensifies in several areas, according to a statement from the agency on Thursday.

It is scaling up to provide life-saving food and nutrition assistance to an additional 5 million people by the end of this year, doubling the number of people WFP had planned to support at the start of 2024, the statement said.