Sudan updates: World Food Programme (WFP) supports Khartoum’s grassroots kitchens as famine threatens capital

 

Sudan’s capital Khartoum is at risk of famine, with over 90,000 people facing catastrophic levels of hunger (IPC5) – meaning they are unable to access enough food to survive and are at risk of starvation. Gaining consistent access to people in Khartoum is an urgent priority for WFP’s scale-up plan.

To that end, the World Food Programme (WFP) has teamed up with Khartoum’s grassroots community kitchens – combining our scale with their access to people in need and local knowledge – to provide daily hot meals. 

These neighbourhood initiatives have been a lifeline for communities since the start of the conflict, but they have struggled to receive consistent funding and keep pace with the soaring needs. That WFP is now stepping in to support their vital work reflects our broader commitment to assisting local partners and grassroots initiatives – and how we adapt our work to ensure the most effective delivery of food assistance. 

WFP has had intermittent access to Khartoum since the war broke out nearly 16 months ago. We last distributed food assistance in the greater metropolitan area in April 2024, providing a two-month ration to families in Omdurman and Karari. To turn the devastating tide of hunger in the once-vibrant Sudanese capital, WFP urgently calls on the warring parties to facilitate predictable and sustained access to Khartoum.

Key updates from WFP’s operations in Khartoum

Supporting Khartoum’s community kitchens

WFP is supporting Khartoum’s community kitchens – known as Emergency Response Rooms – by working with local NGOs who are involved in buying food, and preparing and distributing the meals. The first WFP-supported hot meals should be served this week.

Over the coming weeks, WFP will support 71,000 meals daily via 110 community kitchens in Bahri, Jebel Awlia and Khartoum. That assistance will eventually expand to 100,000 meals daily, cooked in 138 kitchens.

Testing digital cash transfers and self-registration

WFP is testing the provision of food assistance through digital cash transfers to families in Sharg al Neil, Bahri, Khartoum and Ombada – areas in Khartoum State we have been unable to safely reach through our usual mechanisms. Earlier this month (9 July), we launched seven days of online self-registration for targeted people to express their interest. 

We received an overwhelming response. The registration data is being analysed. WFP will pilot the use of digital cash transfers to a small number of families, and may expand this approach based on the results.

Self-registration in humanitarian assistance is a new concept. So far, WFP has successfully used it in Egypt (to support Sudanese war refugees), and in Ukraine and Moldova, and we are currently using it in Gaza.

Delivering food assistance to Khartoum

After a month waiting for safe-passage guarantees, 25 trucks carrying more than 1,200 metric tons of food assistance and nutrition supplements have finally reached Khartoum. The assistance will be distributed in July to 100,000 people in Karrari and Omdurman, covering their food needs for two months. A total of 50,000 children and mothers in Greater Khartoum will also receive nutritional supplements. 

Spotlight: Reaching hunger hotspots in South Kordofan State

WFP successfully distributed more than 3,000 metric tons of critical food assistance to 120,000 internally displaced people in the eastern part of South Kordofan State. We also transported more than 300 metric tons of food assistance to the South Kordofan city of Al Abbassiya, while another 45 metric tons are in transit. Together, these are significant milestones in successfully delivering aid across conflict frontlines to reach the state’s hunger hotspots.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of World Food Programme (WFP).