Sudan's Community Kitchens Face Imminent Collapse Amid Ongoing Famine Crisis

Thu Nov 06 2025 23:36:58 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

A network of essential community kitchens in Sudan, vital for feeding millions affected by civil war, is at risk of shutting down due to funding shortages and operational challenges.

Community kitchens in Sudan, crucial for millions amid a humanitarian crisis, are nearing collapse as volunteer exhaustion and funding cuts threaten their operations. The ongoing civil war and escalating famine have left over 24 million people facing acute food shortages, compelling local volunteers to step in while global aid falters. Reports indicate that without immediate support, most kitchens may close within six months.

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 organization 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 brutalized 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 was 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 the USAID cuts earlier this year.

Worsening conditions have led to severe operational challenges, with the lack of safe water and firewood being cited as major obstacles to food preparation. Aid agencies report bureaucratic delays and denials obstructing deliveries, exacerbated by blockades and insecurity.

The situation is particularly dire in the besieged el-Fasher and Kadugli, where humanitarian access is severely restricted, leading to extreme shortages of food.

The latest global food security reports confirm famine conditions in these regions, projecting further risks in 20 additional areas across greater Darfur and Kordofan.

The volunteers remain committed, but face burnout, danger, and increasing isolation as conflict persists, leaving the future of these vital kitchens uncertain.