Sudan: As fighting rages, food kitchens barely maintain supply

According to UN data, more than half of the population in Sudan, some 25.6 million people, "are in the high levels of acute hunger" or worse.

Free kitchens, or Takias, in war-ravaged Sudan, are now facing shortage of funds and supplies, as fighting continue to rage around the capital of Khartoum.

The prolonged conflict between the Sudanese Army and its rival, the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary group has lasted for more than a yearl. It has caused severe damage to the agricultural production, one of the country's pillar industries, resulting in a continued deterioration of the food security situation.

The capital Khartoum and its surrounding cities of North Khartoum and Omdurman are among the most intense conflict areas, now with about five million residents trapped in the war zone. Most of these people have lost sources of income, but the prices of food and daily necessities have soared several times higher than before the conflict.

In addition to fleeing from air strikes, shelling and gun battles, people are also facing difficulties such as water and power outages, as well as food shortage.

In desperation, some Sudanese have set up Takias to provide free food to families who have run out of money and can't feed themselves.

The term Takia originated from the Arabic word "mutaka". In Sudan, it refers to a place where people perform religious rituals, such as the memorization of the Holy Quran by religious students, while also serving as a sanctuary for the impoverished and needy, providing them with access to food and refuge.

Forced to close

So far, over 350 Takias have been set up in the capital and its surrounding cities, helping about 500,000 families in this area. These Takias are generally very simple and set up in residents' homes. Nearby residents would come early to line up and wait for getting food ahead of mealtimes.

"We have set up six Takias in the sixth block of Khartoum. Some of them provide breakfast, while some others provide lunch. Each Takia can provide food for 220 to 250 families, usually rice, millet or beans," said Muhammad Khojali, head of Takias in the block.

The Takias mainly rely on funding from UN agencies and donations from overseas Sudanese, but since the beginning of this year, the Takias have been facing severe shortage of funds and supplies. Due to the escalation of the conflict, traffic to the capital and surrounding areas has been cut off, so humanitarian access is blocked.

Some of the Takias have been forced to close, and those that are still open have reduced their service from providing two meals a day to one, while several of them can only provide one meal a week.

"The situation is quite difficult, and there is an extreme shortage of food and water. The Takias also need more funding, as they have run out of money. So are the people here. We have no money or food," said Muhammad Adel, a resident in Khartoum.

The lingering conflict in Sudan has led to a sharp drop in grain production and disruptions in grain trade and agricultural product supply chains. An unprecedented food crisis has enveloped the country.

A recent UN report said that the conflict has left 97 percent of Sudanese facing severe hunger, adding that never in modern history have so many people faced hunger and famine as they are now in Sudan. Experts are worried that around 2.5 million people in the country could die from hunger by the end of this year.