Appeal for Your Support to Local Lifelines in Sudan : CO-PEACE and HAGOSS

Editor's Note: The appeal appears below, but be sure to also read the background note by Mary Racelis which appears here. 

War and Food Insecurity in Sudan

A Call to Support Local Lifelines

A Nation in Collapse: War and Displacement on an Unprecedented Scale

Since the outbreak of war on 15 April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), Sudan has been plunged into one of the world’s most severe and complex humanitarian crises. What began as an internal military rift in Khartoum has escalated into a nationwide catastrophe, engulfing nearly every state in Sudan and triggering the world’s largest displacement crisis.

By May 2025, over 15 million people have been forced out of their homes: 11 million were internally displaced, and 4 million refugees have fled to neighbouring countries, including Egypt (1.5 million), South Sudan (1.1 million), Chad (980,000), Ethiopia, the Central African Republic, and Uganda. Khartoum remains the most significant point of origin for IDPs (3.6 million), while Darfur has generated and now hosts 3–4 million displaced individuals. Major cities have been depopulated; rural areas have been destroyed; and essential infrastructure—schools, hospitals, markets—has collapsed under relentless bombardment, occupation, and looting.

Catastrophic Food Insecurity and Famine

Once considered the breadbasket of the Middle East, Sudan’s food security situation is rapidly deteriorating into a full-scale famine. As of early 2025:

• 24.6 million people are facing high levels of acute food insecurity (IPC Phase 3 or above), representing over half of Sudan’s population.

• Famine conditions (IPC Phase 5) have been confirmed in several locations, including Zamzam, Abu Shouk, and Al Salam camps in North Darfur, as well as parts of the Western Nuba Mountains. These very areas are effectively cut off from international aid.

Without immediate, large-scale intervention, millions more are expected to fall into famine conditions within the next few months.

International Humanitarian Response: Underfunded and Outpaced Despite efforts by international humanitarian agencies, the response is falling drastically short of needs:

• The World Food Programme (WFP), the leading provider of food aid, has been unable to scale up its operations due to chronic funding shortfalls and severe access constraints. By late 2024, only half of those in need were receiving any form of assistance, and WFP warned it might suspend food aid to 1.4 million

people in Chad alone.

• UNHCR and UNICEF have contributed vital support to refugees and children suffering from malnutrition, while ICRC and IFRC have operated community kitchens and distributed essential supplies. The Sudanese Red Crescent Society (SRCS), supported by a vast volunteer network, has become one of the most effective operational actors on the ground.

• However, the 2025 Humanitarian Response Plan—calling for $4.2 billion to reach 20.9 million people—is 13% funded as of May 2025.

Compounding the problem, USAID suspended funding to communal kitchens in early 2025, resulting in the closure of over 70% of local feeding centres, stripping tens of thousands of people of their last reliable meal.

The Vital Role of Local Actors and Communal Kitchens

Amidst these gaps in international response, the Sudanese Civil Society has emerged as the backbone of grassroots relief. Volunteer-led Emergency Response Rooms (ERRs) and local charities have mobilised swiftly to set up over 1,400 communal kitchens— more than 350 in Greater Khartoum alone.

These kitchens:

• Served at least one hot meal daily to hundreds of thousands, especially in besieged cities and IDP camps.

• Operated in the spirit of Sudanese mutual aid and generous traditions—nafeer (community mobilization) and takaya (charitable communal meals). • Offered hope, dignity, and human connection to communities shattered by war. • A good example of the principle of the localization of humanitarian aid.

However, these lifelines are under threat:

• Over 80% of communal kitchens have shut down due to funding cuts, particularly after USAID’s withdrawal.

• Volunteers face arrests, harassment, and threats from both SAF and RSF forces. • Many kitchens now function with extreme scarcity, reduced to one meal per week, operating from private homes to avoid detection.

In areas like Umbada and East Nile, closures have left entire neighbourhoods without food, further compounding malnutrition and despair.

Community Resilience: A Testament to Sudanese Willpower

Despite adversity, local resilience endures:

• Youth groups in places like Abu Shouk camp in North Darfur continue to serve thousands with little more than community donations and resolve.

• The Sudanese diaspora remains a key source of support, sending funds, sharing resources, and providing virtual services, such as telemedicine.

• Grassroots actors have adapted, shifting to discreet operations, sharing supplies, and prioritising the most vulnerable: orphans, the elderly, and the chronically ill.

These efforts are lifesaving, but they cannot continue without urgent and sustained support.

The Path Forward: Support Local Actors to Save Lives

As Sudan descends deeper into chaos, local communal kitchens have become the first—and often the only—line of defence against starvation. They operate in places where international organizations are absent or under-resourced. Their communities trust them. They are nimble, experienced, and deeply committed.

Yet, they are starving—not for food, but for funding, protection, and recognition.

We call on the Humanitarian Advisory Group on Sudans (HAGOSS), Corridors of Peace for Children Everywhere (CO-PEACE), and XUNICEF members, international donors, philanthropic organisations, and concerned citizens to urgently:

1. Restore and expand funding to Sudanese communal kitchens and local humanitarian groups.

2. Empower Emergency Response Rooms (ERRs) and grassroots networks with direct financial support and technical assistance.

3. Advocate for secure humanitarian corridors and safe access to allow local actors to operate freely and reach those most in need.

4. Include Sudanese civil society in humanitarian planning and coordination mechanisms, both regionally and globally.

Every dollar matters. Every meal counts. Every day lost means more lives at risk.

Let us not wait for famine to be declared on a large scale before we act. The time to support Sudanese communities feeding themselves is now.

List of Key Local Actors:

1. Hadhreen Organization (Hadhreen org). Contact: Mr. Nazim Sirag, WhatsApp +249-911449954.  See banks listed below to which you can contribute.

2. We Are All Value (WAV) Organisation (Facebook). Contact: Mr. Alameldeen WhatsApp +249-923173033

3. Mutual Aid Sudan: https://www.mutualaidsudan.org/howwework 

4. Humanitarian Action for Sudan (HAS): a new organization dedicated to collecting and transferring funds to local actors.