UN Food Aid to Sudan’s Zamzam Camp Halted Amid Escalating Violence
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has been forced to suspend its life-saving food and nutrition aid due to rising violence in Sudan’s Zamzam camp.
Operations Suspended as Violence Escalates
WFP spokesperson Leni Kinzli confirmed that humanitarian partners in the camp had no choice but to evacuate staff for safety reasons.
“The recent violence in Zamzam has also led to the destruction of the central market,” Kinzli said, adding that residents of the camp—approximately half a million people—now face even greater challenges in accessing food and essential supplies.
For nearly two years, Sudanese government forces have been engaged in a brutal conflict with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), their former allies turned adversaries. The RSF has taken control of most of Darfur and has been besieging El Fasher, a city near Zamzam, for months.
On February 11, RSF fighters stormed Zamzam camp, triggering several days of clashes with the Sudanese army and allied forces, according to reports.
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Deadly Consequences of Aid Suspension
“People, especially children, are already dying of hunger in Zamzam. The suspension of aid will only worsen the crisis,” Kinzli warned.
Before heavy shelling forced WFP to pause its operations, the agency and its partners had distributed food vouchers to 60,000 people.
These vouchers allow families to buy basic food supplies—such as cereals, pulses, oil, and salt—from local markets stocked by private vendors.
“We have been doing everything possible to get aid to those whose lives depend on it,” Kinzli explained, emphasizing that WFP is constantly facing new obstacles due to the ongoing conflict and insecurity.
To address access challenges, WFP has launched an online self-registration platform that provides cash-based assistance in remote areas of Sudan.
“We’ve implemented this system successfully in places like Khartoum, despite unstable communication networks,” Kinzli said. Once registered, recipients receive digital transfers via a mobile money app, enabling them to buy food until humanitarian personnel can safely resume deliveries.
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Urgent Need for Aid Resumption
Kinzli stressed the urgent need to restart food aid delivery in and around Zamzam as quickly and safely as possible. However, this depends on an end to the fighting and the provision of security guarantees for humanitarian workers.
In 2024, two-thirds of the people in Sudan’s famine-stricken or at-risk areas received WFP assistance. But humanitarian agencies warn that this is still insufficient.
“Only regular, monthly food deliveries can prevent widespread famine in Sudan,” WFP stated, highlighting that access to areas facing famine is inconsistent.
Currently, two million people across 27 locations in Sudan are either experiencing famine or on the brink of it.
As the crisis deepens, humanitarian organizations continue to urge both warring parties to allow safe and unimpeded access for life-saving aid.
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