Bread is such an essential part of life in Sudan that the reopening of a bakery in the battle-scarred Shambat neighbourhood, north of Khartoum, has filled people with a sense of optimism. Buildings in the neighbourhood bear the scars of the fighting that broke out in Sudan in April 2023, and some of the most basic services are still missing.
But the smell of freshly baked bread coming from the local bakery after a nearly two-year-hiatus is giving Shambat residents hope. “When we saw a place that can provide us with food and drink, it felt that life was restored,” Shambat resident Aida Al-Shiekh said. Hundreds of Shambat residents have returned to the area after the Sudanese army retook it from the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), who controlled it until October. Sudan was plunged into chaos in April 2023 when simmering tensions between the military and the RSF exploded into open warfare across the country.
The war has intensified in recent months, with the military making sweeping advances against the RSF in Khartoum and elsewhere in the country. “We experienced very difficult conditions and very tough events. Thank God, after the army returned and entered this area, we felt stability,” said resident Mugahed Mohamed. Life remains very difficult in Shambat where basic services like electricity and water are largely inaccessible. As an alternative to cooking gas, people in the neighborhood collect firewood to cook their meals. Humanitarian organizations have been supporting people with basic foodstuffs including flour, cooking oil, lentils and beans through local organizations partnering with the U.N.’s World Food Program.
The World Health Organization and Doctors Without Borders are also working with local partners to assist people in the area. The war in Sudan has driven more than 14 million people from their homes and pushed parts of the country into famine. At least 20,000 people have been killed, though the number is likely far higher.
Source: Africanews
