What It Takes to Eat: Conflict and Sudan’s Fragile Food System
Publisher: CARE International
Author(s): Nana Ndeda, Azzaa Ahmed Abdel Aziz, and Sara Karrar
Date: 2026
Topics: Conflict Causes, Governance, Humanitarian Assistance, Livelihoods, Renewable Resources
Countries: Sudan
In several areas of Sudan, each meal eaten by a family is made up of ingredients that have crossed one or more battlefields. In fact, these meals are only made possible thanks to efforts by farmers, suppliers, traders and volunteers who risk their lives and safety to feed themselves and others, keeping a fragile food system running. The unrelenting conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), reinforced by allied armed groups, has made the path of food from farms through markets to household plates treacherous, with devastating consequences.