Water and electricity cuts have left many Sudanese homes struggling to cope since clashes erupted between the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group and the Sudanese army on April 15. The two sides had been sharing power, with the head of the army, Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, as de facto leader and the head of the RSF, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, as his deputy, but they have since started fighting each other. Eyewitnesses in Bahri, northern Khartoum, reported that the main water pumping station had been hit. Shops have closed, and food and water supplies are running low.
The situation has been exacerbated by the suspension of aid provision to Sudan by the UN’s World Food Programme (WFP) on April 16 following the death of three of its staff in the region of Darfur. Earlier this year, the UN said that two-thirds of Sudanese, around 15.8 million people, had already needed humanitarian aid in 2023. This situation worsened after international aid from donor countries ceased following the 2021 military coup that ousted civilian Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok.
Eyewitnesses reported that in some Khartoum neighbourhoods where fighting has calmed enough for grocery stores to reopen, there are queues and products like bottled water are scarce. In others, residents are still too afraid to leave their homes. Some shop owners have increased their prices, sometimes charging up to twice the usual amount for eggs, meat, and drinks. The UN’s decision to suspend aid provision to Sudan has added to the crisis, and political leaders are urging a truce before the country goes into a “deep humanitarian crisis”.
The ongoing conflict in Sudan has devastated the country’s infrastructure, with the recent water and electricity cuts being just one example. According to eyewitnesses in Bahri, northern Khartoum, the main water pumping station was hit, leaving many residents without access to clean water. This has forced some families to rely solely on their reserves of abri, a corn-based drink usually consumed during Ramadan, to quench their thirst.
A local resident Hind said the frequent water outages forced her and her family to drastically alter their daily routines. “We’ve had to change our entire way of living since the clashes began,” she said. “We can’t wash our clothes or take a shower, and we have to rely on the limited food and water supplies we have stored in our homes.”
The situation has been made worse by the closure of many shops and businesses in affected areas. In Hind’s neighbourhood, for example, all shops except for some bakeries have closed, and even these establishments have little flour left. Meanwhile, eyewitnesses have reported that in other Khartoum neighbourhoods where fighting has calmed enough for grocery stores to reopen, there are queues and products like bottled water are scarce. In some areas, residents are still too afraid to leave their homes due to the ongoing violence.
The suspension of aid provision to Sudan by the UN’s World Food Programme (WFP) on April 16 has added to the crisis. Earlier this year, the UN said that two-thirds of Sudanese, around 15.8 million people, had already needed humanitarian aid in 2023.
This situation worsened after international aid from donor countries ceased following the 2021 military coup that ousted civilian Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok. The WFP’s decision to suspend aid provision to Sudan following the death of three of its staff in the region of Darfur has further exacerbated the country’s humanitarian crisis.
Abla Karrar, a spokesperson for the political coalition known as the Forces for Freedom and Change, expressed her regret at the UN’s decision to suspend aid in light of
what she called a “critical situation”. Karrar emphasized the need for a truce before the country goes into a “deep humanitarian crisis” and urged the international community to take action to end the ongoing conflict.
The situation in Sudan has been precarious since the military coup in 2021 that ousted civilian Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok. The coup sparked widespread protests across the country, with demonstrators calling for a return to civilian rule. In response, the military launched a brutal crackdown, arresting opposition leaders and activists, and using deadly force against protesters.
The conflict between the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group and the Sudanese army has only added to the chaos and instability in the country. The two sides had been sharing power with the head of the army, Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, as de facto leader and the head of the RSF, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo as his deputy, but they have since started fighting each other. The clashes began on 15 April, and since then, more than 270 people have died, according to a statement from the US embassy in Khartoum.
The violence has had a devastating impact on civilians, with water and electricity cuts affecting many Sudanese homes. Eyewitnesses reported that the main water pumping station in Bahri, northern Khartoum, had been hit, and residents were relying on their reserves of abri, a corn-based drink usually consumed during Ramadan, to quench their thirst.
In addition to the water and electricity cuts, shops in many neighborhoods had shut down, and even those that remained open had little flour and other basic supplies left. Some shop owners in the Riyadh neighborhood, north of the capital, had increased their prices, charging up to twice the usual amount for eggs, meat, and drinks. The situation has caused frustration and anger among the population, with many struggling to make ends meet.
The suspension of aid by the UN’s World Food Programme (WFP) on 16 April has made matters worse. Earlier this year, the UN reported that two-thirds of Sudanese, around 15.8 million people, needed humanitarian aid in 2023. This situation worsened after international aid from donor countries ceased following the military coup. The suspension of aid by the WFP has left many vulnerable communities without access to food, water, and other essential supplies.
The political coalition known as the Forces for Freedom and Change has called on the international community to take immediate action to end the conflict in Sudan and to provide aid to those affected by the violence. The group has urged the military and paramilitary forces to respect the human rights of civilians and to engage in a meaningful dialogue to resolve the crisis.
The international community has also expressed concern about the situation in Sudan. The United States has called for an immediate end to the fighting and for the military and paramilitary forces to return to their barracks. The European Union has also condemned the violence and called for a peaceful and democratic transition in Sudan.
Image Credit: Marwan Ali/AP
