Community Kitchens in Sudan: A Lifeline on the Brink of Collapse

Thu Nov 06 2025 23:26:23 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

As famine spreads amid ongoing civil unrest, Sudan's community kitchens—critical for millions—face impending closure due to neglect, resource shortages, and volunteer burnout.

A report indicates that Sudan's network of community kitchens, which provide crucial food support in conflict areas, is about to collapse due to shortages, volunteer exhaustion, and financial instability. The situation marks a grim escalation in the humanitarian crisis fueled by over two years of civil war. With more than 24 million people at risk of acute food shortages, these initiatives are vital amidst a lack of international aid and government support.

A network of community kitchens in Sudan - a crucial lifeline for millions of people caught up in the civil war - is on the verge of collapse, a report says.

The warning from aid organisation Islamic Relief comes after a UN-backed global hunger monitor confirmed that famine conditions were spreading in conflict zones.

The locally run kitchens have operated in areas that are difficult for international humanitarian groups to access, but are facing closure due to neglect, shortages, and volunteer exhaustion.

Sudan's people have been brutalised by more than two years of war after fighting broke out between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

It has created what the UN has called the world's largest humanitarian crisis, with estimates that more than 24 million people are facing acute food shortages.

Most of the kitchens will close if nothing changes in six months, with maybe one or two surviving in each area, one volunteer is quoted by the Islamic Relief report as saying.

These local initiatives often operate alongside social networks known as Emergency Response Rooms that have filled the gaps of collapsing government services and limited international aid.

Financial fragility is the most pressing issue the kitchens face. They are now funded mainly by the Sudanese diaspora, after USAID cuts earlier this year.

There are severe operational challenges, such as the lack of safe water and firewood. Aid agencies say both sides obstruct deliveries with bureaucratic delays and denials.

The situation is worst in the besieged cities of el-Fasher in the western Darfur region and Kadugli in South Kordofan state, which are largely cut off from commercial supplies and humanitarian assistance.

Food security in Sudan shows stark contrasts along conflict lines, with areas where violence has subsided beginning to improve, but many still face acute shortages.

After nearly three years, volunteers find themselves increasingly on their own, facing burnout and danger. Their efforts to ensure food reaches those most in need continue to be inspired by the resilience and determination of their communities.