FAO Launches Sudan Campaign to Vaccinate 9.8 Million Livestock

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations has launched a nationwide livestock vaccination campaign in Sudan targeting 9.8 million animals and 1.2 million livestock owning households during the 2026 to 2027 campaign.

The programme covers all 18 states and is intended to protect livestock assets as conflict, displacement and damage to veterinary infrastructure continue to weaken animal health services. FAO estimates Sudan had about 115.4 million livestock in 2025.

Sudan's Central Veterinary Research Laboratory in Soba, which had produced veterinary vaccines for more than five decades, was destroyed during the conflict. Before the war it could produce up to 35 million vaccine doses a year, leaving a major gap in domestic animal health capacity.

FAO said it supported the import of about 23 million vaccine doses in 2025, alongside cold chain management, transport and distribution. Between October 2025 and July 2026, 8.4 million animals were vaccinated, benefiting an estimated 537,000 households.

The new campaign will target common livestock diseases and will be accompanied by vouchers for concentrated feed and mineral salt licks for eligible livestock owners. Healthy animals are especially important for displaced and rural families that depend on livestock for milk, food and income.

FAO estimates livestock related losses in Sudan at nearly $3 billion. The organisation's wider emergency and resilience portfolio in the country stands at $44.1 million against a $193 million appeal under its 2026 to 2028 response plan.