Millions go hungry as war and waves of ethnic killing disrupt food supply in Sudan
Millions of people are going hungry in Sudan as war disrupts the food supply in the nation in North Africa.
Al Fiteihab, a district in the city of Omdurman across the Nile from Sudan's capital, Khartoum, is on the front line in the battle between the army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Residents searching for food say they have had to brave RSF checkpoints, as well as artillery and sniper fire by the RSF and the army.
People are scared to leave their homes for fear of harassment and beatings. Mahmoud Mohammed, 60, said he was robbed and whipped by RSF fighters when he tried to go to a market last December. “When I got home, my jalabia was covered in blood,” he said, referring to the traditional robe he was wearing. A family member confirmed that Mohammed was bloodied when he arrived home.
Mohammed’s wife then began venturing out in an effort to find food, but stopped after hearing that a group of women had been detained by the RSF and that others had gone missing. Two other residents said they had also heard of women going missing early this year. Reuters was unable to independently confirm these reports of disappearances. Last month, Mohammed and his family escaped from Al Fiteihab.
Electrical and water facilities have been damaged in the fighting, residents said, depriving them of power and running water. Many have suffered from diarrhea after being forced to drink untreated water from the Nile. The World Health Organization has reported more than 10,000 suspected cholera cases across the country since the outbreak of the war.
Mohieldin Jaafar helped to set up soup kitchens early in the war, but he said they ran out of supplies. Sayed Sheashaa / Reuters In an effort to feed thousands of residents in Al Fiteihab, volunteers set up soup kitchens early in the war that served gruel, rice and flat bread once or twice a day. But the communal kitchens were forced to cut back on these meals when an RSF siege of the area cut short their supplies last July, volunteer Mohieldin Jaafar told Reuters.
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