Sudan, a country plagued by civil war, is currently facing an acute hunger crisis. The conflict between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese army has left millions of people in dire need of food. Aid groups and famine experts have warned that the situation is worsening, with the United Nations estimating that 18 million people are now facing emergency levels of hunger.
In response to the crisis, Soulayma Abdel Hay started a soup kitchen in Khartoum, the capital of Sudan. She relied on overseas donations to buy rice, beans, and eggs to cook meals for hungry families three times a week. Initially, around 70 people would come to her for food, but as the crisis deepened, the number increased to over 200 people per meal.
The situation is particularly dire in Darfur, where malnourishment is already affecting millions of people. Doctors without Borders (MSF) reported that hunger kills two children every hour in the Zamzam displacement camp in North Darfur. The camp, which was established during Darfur’s first major civil war in 2003, has seen an influx of people fleeing recent violence in South and Central Darfur. Many UN agencies and global relief groups had to terminate operations in the region due to lawlessness and insecurity, leaving civilians with nothing.
Water-borne diseases, such as cholera, are also contributing to extreme levels of malnourishment, especially among children. The lack of access to clean water and sanitation facilities exacerbates the crisis. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) declared a cholera outbreak in Gadarif, a state in the far east of Sudan, in December. Experts believe that Darfur is likely facing a similar or even worse crisis.
The conflict in Sudan has severely affected food availability and people’s ability to buy it. The RSF and allied militias have conducted an ethnic cleansing campaign in West Darfur, driving “non-Arab” communities from their land. They have also looted aid warehouses, banks, homes, and jewelry across the country. The army, on the other hand, restricts aid to regions under RSF control and cracks down on grassroots initiatives trying to feed their communities. This deliberate obstruction of access to food may constitute starvation crimes.
To mitigate the food crisis, aid agencies are calling for $4.1 billion in funding. They emphasize the importance of supporting Emergency Response Rooms (ERRs), grassroots committees that run soup kitchens across the country. These ERRs rely on remittances and donations to feed hundreds of people daily. However, Western donors are hesitant to directly finance ERRs due to concerns about accountability. Instead, they often cooperate with the Humanitarian Aid Commission (HAC), which many experts believe is a front for military intelligence and involved in aid diversion.
The situation in Sudan is dire, and time is running out to avert a catastrophe. Without immediate action and funding, hundreds of thousands of children could die from hunger next year. It is crucial for the global community to support grassroots initiatives like the ERRs, which are accountable to their communities and working tirelessly to feed those in need. By bypassing corrupt channels and ensuring transparency in aid distribution, we can make a significant impact in alleviating the hunger crisis in Sudan.
