The Iran War is interfering with the flow of relief supplies to war-torn African countries like Sudan, increasing the number of starvation deaths. “The anticipated reopening of the Strait of Hormuz under an April 7 deal for a two-week suspension of U.S. air strikes against Iran is already marred by confusion and uncertainty. Experts warn that Iran’s continued control over the Strait will still require coordinated international efforts to restore confidence. The stakes extend well beyond energy markets — to humanitarian crises such as Sudan, where already catastrophic conditions are worsening,” explains Just Security.
Half of Sudan’s 50 million people are already seriously hungry due to its civil war, which has killed at least 400,000 people, and led to genocide in the country’s western Darfur region.
Since Iran retaliated against the U.S. by effectively closing the Strait of Hormuz, “metric tons of food have been stuck in shipping containers in Dubai,” Just Security notes:
The Strait of Hormuz accounts for more than 20 percent of the global maritime oil trade, but it also is a critical thoroughfare for humanitarian logistics and supplies. That includes fertilizers, food aid, and medical supplies required for life-saving care and fundamental food security, supplies that fell sharply in early March with the waterway’s effective closure….
The global aid system has long been under strain, driving an already brewing crisis that was compounded by deep cuts in international humanitarian aid spending of about 30 percent between 2024 and 2025 alone….
The Middle East and the Persian Gulf, so severely impacted by the Iran war, served a central role in the teetering aid system. Over two decades, an International Humanitarian City in Dubai became the linchpin of global humanitarian logistics, coordinating crisis response while keeping costs low. Today, as conflict spreads and millions of people face hunger — with food insecurity especially high in areas of East, West, and southern Africa — the humanitarian assistance community fears Dubai could become its Achilles heel. With container terminals disrupted, the United Nations’ International Organization for Migration reported that shipping firms were demanding a $3,000 emergency surcharge per container to move through the Dubai hub to recoup rising costs and uncertainty.
The fertilizer shock is particularly alarming for food security timelines. Nearly one-third of the world’s seaborne fertilizer trade passes through the Strait of Hormuz. The U.N.’s Food and Agriculture Organization predicts no more than a three-month window for action before risks escalate significantly, affecting global planting decisions for 2026 and beyond.
Sudan is in the midst of a civil war between Sudan’s armed forces, and a militia called the Rapid Support Forces. Both sides have killed thousands of civilians using drones. The Rapid Support Forces also have committed genocide against the Masalit people of western Sudan. And they slaughtered tens of thousands of the Zaghawa people, including thousands of children, after seizing the major city of El Fasher. The RSF also has kidnapped thousands of people and held them for ransom, torturing many of them. The RSF has killed at least 250,000 people from non-Arab ethnic groups in Sudan’s western Darfur region.
