• 42% of 844 surveyed kitchens have shut down due to lack of support
• International governments meeting at Berlin Conference must increase support for local response groups, as three years of war has created world’s biggest hunger crisis
• Impact of Middle East war has put more lifesaving kitchens at risk 

New Islamic Relief research finds that 42% of community kitchens in Sudan have shut down in the last six months due to lack of international support, raising fears of famine spreading as the war enters its fourth year.  

The research surveyed 844 kitchens in six states across Sudani and found that 354 have closed due to lack of funds and supplies. The community kitchens, known as Takaaya, are the last lifeline for millions of people affected by the war, often reaching places where international aid is blocked.  

As international governments prepare to meet at the Berlin Conference, marking the third anniversary of the war, Islamic Relief is calling on them to urgently increase support to local mutual aid groups, or many more will face closure. The Conference must also agree to step up pressure for an immediate ceasefire to protect civilians from rising attacks.  

The efforts of Sudan’s local volunteers and mutual aid groups have drawn global praise and awards, but this has not yet led to increased tangible support. The research follows Islamic Relief’s report in November 2025 that warned many kitchens were on the verge of collapse. 

Islamic Relief Worldwide CEO, Iftikhar Shaheen, says: “The suffering in Sudan is a collective moral failure of the international community. Three years of war has created the world’s biggest hunger crisis and these locally run kitchens have saved countless lives. Their closure now is a death sentence for many vulnerable families. Heroic volunteers are doing everything they can to keep the kitchens open, but they need more support. As global governments meet in Berlin we need a clear commitment to increase aid, support local responders, and ensure an immediate ceasefire.”

Sudanese civilians continue to be attacked, starved, and forced from their homes. A rise in deadly drone strikes over the past couple of months have killed children, medics and patients as hospitals and schools have been hit. More than 21 million people in Sudan – 45% of the population – are now suffering food shortages due to mass displacement and attacks on farmland and trade routes.  

Local mutual aid groups receive hardly any direct international funding. Most have relied on support from the Sudanese diaspora and community donations, but as the war goes on these funds are drying up. The war has fuelled an economic crisis in Sudan and rampant inflation has doubled the cost of providing meals.  

Over the past month, the war in the Middle East has disrupted global supply routes and put further strain on Sudan’s community kitchens, with rising food shortages and a 187% increase in fuel costs in the last few weeks.  

Islamic Relief’s research finds a varied picture across regions. In North Darfur, where famine is spreading and recent UN assessments found more than half of children malnourished, 57% of surveyed kitchens have closed. In Tawila, North Darfur, where thousands of families have fled the siege and massacres in El Fasher, young volunteers report having to close their kitchens regularly in between donations. In Port Sudan six out of seven kitchens (86%) have closed. However, in North Kordofan almost all have managed to stay open as limited funding has been diverted here to address the worsening security and hunger crisis in the Kordofan region.  

The kitchens that remain open are struggling to meet growing demand as more people seek support.  

• Alaa, a community kitchen volunteer in Port Sudan, told Islamic Relief:“We had to suspend operations when our funding stopped. For six months, we had been feeding up to 4,000 people there every single day. We knew everyone. We became family with them. When we had to close that kitchen, it felt like abandoning my own family. Every day there are new faces and new children. The responsibility grows every day because the number of people keeps increasing while the funding does not.”
• Ezaldeen, another Takaaya volunteer, said: “Before we had variety: lentils, vegetables, beans… Now it is usually just one type of food. We are feeding people, but we are not feeding them well. More than five people in this community have died from illnesses directly caused by hunger and malnutrition… five people who might still be alive if the Takaaya had been better resourced.”  
• A volunteer in Khartoum says:“Six months ago a meal cost around 3,000 Sudanese pounds (approx. £3.70). Now it costs about 7,000 (approx. £8.70)… more than double. When you are feeding hundreds of people every day, that difference is enormous.”

The challenges are further compounded by cuts to international humanitarian aid. The UN-led 2026 appeal for Sudan has received just 16% of the funding it needs. Last year’s appeal received less than 40%, a massive drop from 70% funded in 2024.  

Islamic Relief has worked in Sudan since 1984 and has provided aid to over 2 million people across the country since the war broke out in April 2023, including food, water, and healthcare. The charity currently works in 11 of Sudan’s 18 states. Find out more about Islamic Relief’s work in Sudan.