War destroys crops in Sudan, threatened by famine

Cash shortages even occurred in army-controlled Gedaref after the RSF captured the capital Khartoum and banks were looted.

The farmer said that without selling two of his three cars, he would not be able to afford fuel for farm equipment or pay workers to prepare fields and care for crops.

“The second problem is the shortage of farm workers due to the war, which has limited their movement across the states,” he added.

Most of the workers in Gedaref were previously from the neighboring Blue Nile and Sennar states, as well as the more distant Kordofan.

– I give up –

However, the war limited interstate movement, leaving farm owners like Osman with only a small workforce.

Another local farmer, Suleiman Mohamed, said that “the shortage of workers has led to higher wages, so we rely on those already in the area, mainly Ethiopians” who have long lived in eastern Sudan as refugees.

The war began in April 2023 between the army of the country’s de facto ruler Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the RSF, led by his former deputy Mohamed Hamdan Daghlo.

Harvest disruptions this season could worsen the hunger crisis, which has been exacerbated by aid restrictions.