It has been a year since the war in Sudan began, and the situation is dire. Children are dying from hunger, and sick people cannot afford medicine as the country slips into famine.
Last year, a conflict between army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the head of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), Mohamad Hamdan “Hemedti” Dagalo, escalated into open warfare.
The ongoing fighting and widespread destruction, combined with reduced agricultural production, have led to a sharp increase in food prices and a scarcity of food.
“Civilians are suffering in silence,” said Mukhtar Atif, a spokesperson for the “emergency response rooms” (ERRs), a volunteer network providing aid to civilians across the country.
Atif’s network operates about 70 community kitchens in Khartoum North, providing a single meal a day to approximately 45,000 people, serving as a lifeline for many in Sudan.
However, the network’s access is limited, and they rely on donations, which have become difficult to receive due to a near-total communication outage since February.
As a result, hundreds of kitchens have closed, and those still functioning have long queues, with people waiting for hours for a small portion of food.
While the conflict initially centered in Khartoum, it has spread, severely restricting the movement of food and aid convoys, deepening the hunger crisis in Sudan.
According to the UN, nearly 25 million people, half of Sudan’s population, require aid, and over eight million people have been displaced due to the conflict.
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