Volunteers in Khartoum: Famine Looms Over Citizens in Khartoum

moatinoon
Local relief volunteers in the capital Khartoum announced the suspension of most communal kitchens that provide food to hundreds of thousands of remaining citizens in the city, causing a food crisis that could lead to a real catastrophe. They confirmed cases of deaths due to hunger and malnutrition that have not been accurately documented yet.

The Emergency Room of Khartoum State stated that most kitchens had to stop due to the interruption of communication and the internet in Khartoum State, which the volunteers rely on to receive donations and coordinate between members across the capital to bring and prepare food.

The group explained that 221 kitchens out of 300 have completely stopped. They mentioned that the kitchens that stopped include 100 kitchens in East Nile Locality, 53 kitchens in Khartoum Locality, 38 kitchens in Khartoum North Locality, 20 kitchens in Omdurman Locality, and 10 kitchens in Jabal Awlia Locality.

These kitchens support nearly 240,000 families who are now threatened by hunger. The number of people coming to these kitchens for assistance is increasing as they are the only refuge for those who have no family or resources. However, they are being forced to close their doors every day.

The Emergency Room called for immediate intervention to solve this crisis and restore communication and internet services to ensure that aid reaches those in need and to resume work in these communal kitchens. These kitchens heavily rely on bank transfers connected to communication and internet networks. The Emergency Room warned that the risk of famine is looming over relief workers and citizens in the city.

The Emergency Room of Khartoum State is a humanitarian relief initiative specializing in humanitarian work within the state. It consists of representatives from all the sub-rooms and bases in the seven localities of the state, according to the rooms page. The rooms work on bringing food and preparing meals in open kitchens called "Takaya," defined as "common solidarity kitchens," distributing food for free to hundreds of thousands of citizens stranded in the capital, which has become a military operation zone since the outbreak of war in April last year.