“Takaya,” which are charitable kitchens run by volunteer initiatives to provide food to the needy and those affected by the war in Sudan, have become a lifeline for thousands of families who have lost their sources of income and are unable to secure their daily meals in light of the high prices and deteriorating economic conditions.
In the city of Omdurman, displaced people and war-weary residents are finding refuge in these kitchens to obtain whatever food they can, after purchasing basic needs has become beyond the capacity of many families, as a result of low incomes, disruption of economic activity, and high costs of living. However, initiatives that fill part of the food gap are also facing a severe shortage in funding and high operating costs. Which makes its continuation dependent on the donations of philanthropists and the support of donors, at a time when the number of families relying on it to obtain a daily meal is increasing.
Harsh living conditions
Al-Sadiq Siddiq, the supervisor of a hospice, says that his initiative was launched in June 2023 with one amount of “lentil balila,” a popular meal made from lentils, which was distributed to neighbors and passers-by, before he added another amount of beans, with the help of some donors. As the hospice’s activities were introduced through social media platforms, the circle of supporters gradually expanded.
A friend added to Asharq Al-Awsat that the hospice expanded its activities as the war continued and humanitarian needs worsened, and it prepared about 20 large amounts of food daily for the displaced and affected people in Omdurman, benefiting nearly 5,000 people, belonging to about 700 families. He points out that the lack of funding caused the hospice to stop operating several times, but it resumed its activity every time to meet the needs of families, as well as providing breakfast meals for school students.
Although numbers of displaced people returned to their areas after the army regained control of Khartoum, the living conditions of many families remain extremely difficult. Siddiq confirms that “the continuation of the hospice’s work has become an indispensable necessity.”
Millions of Sudanese are suffering from the repercussions of the ongoing war, in light of the decline in incomes, the disruption of large sectors of economic activity, and the rising costs of living, while the crisis has pushed about half of the country’s population into need of humanitarian aid, according to international estimates.
Constant suffering
Among the beneficiaries is Umm Sitra Hamid, a sixty-year-old woman who was displaced from the city of Al-Nahud, West Kordofan State. She told Asharq Al-Awsat: “I arrived in Omdurman with my orphan children after a long and arduous journey during which we suffered a lot, and I currently live in very difficult living conditions.” She added: “I do not have a stable source of income, and I cannot provide enough food for my children. Therefore, we rely mainly on the meals provided by the hospice. For us, these meals are not just a help, but a way to survive in these harsh conditions.”
The suffering of Fatima Youssef, a mother of seven daughters, is not much different from this. She says: “I was displaced from West Kordofan with my seven daughters, and we left our house with only the clothes we were wearing, amid inhumane conditions. Since our arrival, we have faced extreme difficulty in providing the most basic requirements of life, especially food.” She added: “Our living situation is very difficult, and we do not have enough to feed my daughters.” I depend on the hospice to get meals, and today I received our share of lentil soup, but I don’t even have dry bread that we can eat with.”
In turn, Al-Hadi Al-Badawi, one of the beneficiaries, says that hospices have stood by the residents since the outbreak of the war, and have turned for many families into an essential source of food with the continuing deterioration in living conditions. He added: “I used to rely on daily freelance work to provide for my family’s needs, but the war and the disastrous conditions it left behind led to a significant decline in job opportunities, and I began to spend many days without work or income.” He continues: “Living conditions are very deteriorating. Therefore, the meals provided by hospices have become a real support for families that have lost their sources of income and are no longer able to provide food for their members.”
A worsening hunger crisis
At a time when families' ability to secure their basic needs is declining, hospices remain witness to another side of the war. Families who relied on their work and income to provide food are now waiting for a meal provided by a charitable initiative. As the circle of people in need expands and food prices rise, these kitchens, in turn, face the risk of shutting down due to scarcity of funding and the difficulty of providing cooking supplies on a regular basis.
In a country whose economy has been exhausted by war, and which has burdened its citizens, a meal for many families is no longer something that can be taken for granted, but rather has turned into a daily battle for survival, while hospices, with their limited capabilities, are trying to fill part of the growing gap. The United Nations World Food Program warned, in its latest update on its humanitarian operations in Sudan last August, that the country is still facing the largest hunger crisis in the world, while a severe lack of funding threatens the ability of humanitarian organizations to continue relief operations, amid the continuing war and worsening humanitarian conditions in various parts of the country. The program stated that about 19.5 million people in Sudan suffer from severe levels of food insecurity, in light of the continuing conflict, deteriorating economic conditions, disruption of agricultural production, and a significant rise in the prices of basic commodities.
The University of Benghazi in eastern Libya turned the page on the effects of the war years, which extended to its campus, and reopened its doors after completing the final phase of its reconstruction project and rehabilitation of its facilities.
This step was seen by observers as restoring its academic role to one of the oldest educational edifices in the country, after damage it sustained during the battles that the city witnessed between the “National Army” led by Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, the “ISIS” organization, and extremist groups between 2014 and 2016.
With the completion of the rehabilitation work, Haftar opened late on Friday the final phase of the university reconstruction project, in a ceremony attended by the Prime Minister-designate of the House of Representatives, Osama Hammad, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aguila Saleh, along with officials and academics.
The words of the participants in the celebration recalled part of the memory of the war, which reached the university, where Haftar indicated that its cessation for many years left a wound in the city’s memory, while he linked what Benghazi witnessed during that stage to the battles that his forces fought against armed groups.
For his part, Aguila Saleh was keen to recall the damage caused to educational facilities during the conflict, stressing that educational facilities are considered civilian objects protected under international humanitarian law, and may not be targeted or used for military purposes during armed conflicts.
Saleh spoke at length about what the university was exposed to during the years of fighting, including shells, mines, and acts of sabotage, which affected its halls, libraries, offices, facilities, and gardens, while the head of the Libya Development and Reconstruction Fund, Belkacem Haftar, described the university’s return as a new beginning after years of damage caused by the war.
Academics and students have not forgotten the effects of the war that began affecting the University of Benghazi in the Garyounis area since May 2014, with the escalation of armed confrontations in the city between the National Army forces and extremist groups. In June of the same year, missiles fired during the fighting hit a number of university buildings, damaging classrooms, laboratories, and training facilities.
Confrontations around the university campus escalated in October 2014, with continued fighting between Haftar’s forces and fighters from the Benghazi Revolutionaries Shura Council, ISIS, and other armed formations. As the battles extended, parts of the university were subjected to additional damage, while some of its facilities were used during military operations.
In 2015, the extent of damage to the university campus expanded, before Haftar’s forces announced on April 17, 2016, control of the university, after battles with ISIS and other armed formations. This was followed by operations to remove mines and secure buildings, in preparation for the resumption of university activity.
Libyan political analyst, Omar Boussaida, believes that evoking the war experience at the moment the university is celebrating its rehabilitation “does not necessarily mean stopping at the past,” considering that “it could form part of the city’s memory and its experience with armed violence, especially since the end of the battles does not necessarily mean the disappearance of its social and political effects.”
Bou Saida told Asharq Al-Awsat that remembering that stage could contribute to enhancing awareness of the dangers of the return of extremist groups, considering that societies that have gone through violent experiences need to preserve their memory, while transforming it from a painful experience into a lesson that helps avoid its recurrence.
About 3 years ago, the Benghazi reconstruction project was launched, and included the University of Benghazi as one of the main facilities in the city. The project work included the rehabilitation of academic, vital and historical facilities, in addition to developing parts of the university campus.
The rehabilitation work included the implementation of internal roads, the development of academic buildings and classrooms, in addition to equipping and furnishing works, and raising the readiness of a number of university campus facilities, allowing the restoration of academic activity in a more suitable environment.
The University of Benghazi holds a prominent place in the history of Libyan higher education, as its establishment dates back to December 15, 1955, when the law establishing the “Libyan University” in Benghazi was issued. The university was officially opened on January 22, 1956, and studies began the next day at the College of Arts and Education, which received 31 students, according to the university’s official website.
In August 1973, the university’s name was changed to “University of Benghazi,” and in 1974 it moved from its old headquarters inside the city to its current headquarters in the Garyounis area. In 1976, its name was changed to “Garyounis University,” before the name “University of Benghazi” returned to it on February 17, 2011, coinciding with the re-annexation of medical colleges to it.
With the return of studies to its rehabilitated buildings, the University of Benghazi regains part of its role that extended for more than 7 decades, while the effects of war remain part of the history of the place and the memory of the city.
