Sudan: Al-Fashir’s Soup Kitchens Serve “Final Meal” Amid Deepening Crisis
- The crisis in Al-Fashir, the capital of Sudan’s North Darfur State, deepened as the last remaining soup kitchens ceased operating
- A Sudanese army attack targeted a United Nations humanitarian convoy in North Darfur en route to the city.
- The Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM), aligned with the RSF, reached out to international organisations amid a rising humanitarian crisis
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Amos Khaemba, a journalist at TUKO.co.ke, brings over four years of experience covering politics and current affairs in Kenya.
South Sudan - In a grim reflection of the worsening living conditions in Al-Fashir, the capital of Sudan’s North Darfur State, the last remaining soup kitchens—locally known as tekaya—ceased operations on Friday, July 25, after serving their final meal.
Source: Getty Images
According to the Sudanese newspaper Al-Rakoba, the last kitchen closed its doors after distributing a final offering consisting of “umbaz” fodder, a substance typically used to feed cattle, underscoring the scale of the food catastrophe engulfing the city.
Citing journalist Abdel Azim Qulou, the paper reported that the kitchen management was compelled to resort to this fodder due to the complete depletion of all other food supplies, amid a total absence of official or humanitarian aid.
Volunteers warned that the continued shutdown of these kitchens portends an imminent humanitarian disaster, particularly as the number of residents who rely on them as their sole food source continues to grow.
Aid Convoys Targeted
As the humanitarian crisis deepens in Al-Fashir, the city was shaken by another devastating blow when, on June 3, a Sudanese army attack targeted a United Nations humanitarian convoy in North Darfur en route to the city.
Five aid workers were killed and others injured in the attack on the convoy, which was jointly operated by UNICEF and the World Food Programme (WFP).
In a joint statement, the two UN agencies confirmed that the convoy, which was delivering food to children and families facing famine in Al-Fashir, was attacked overnight.
The statement warned that without new supplies arriving soon, hundreds of thousands of residents in Al-Fashir are at “high risk of malnutrition and starvation.”
According to the “Al-Kuma Emergency Room,” drones belonging to the Sudanese army struck WFP trucks in the city, killing six drivers, injuring four others, and destroying or burning several vehicles.
Meanwhile, tribal leaders in the Al-Kuma region stated in a video released by the Emergency Room’s official Facebook page that a convoy of approximately 17 trucks carrying essential food supplies came under drone fire from the Sudanese army at around 12:30 a.m. the previous night.
Human Shields
As the conflict drags on, reports have surfaced accusing the Sudanese army of using civilians as human shields. In its latest statement, issued on July 25, the army declared it would not leave the city “except over dead bodies.”
At the same time, Rapid Support Forces (RSF) continue advancing toward Al-Fashir in a campaign to wrest control from the army, mirroring their strategy in other parts of the country, a primary objective of the RSF.
With the humanitarian situation in Al-Fashir deteriorating rapidly, the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM), aligned with the RSF, has reached out to international organisations and UN agencies to facilitate the delivery of aid to affected areas, according to Mujib al-Rahman Mohamed al-Zubair, head of the civilian authority in SLM-controlled territories.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
