by Tom Staal
Photo: ERR volunteers distributing food to those in dire need of assistance.
With the war in Sudan raging now for two and a half years, the suffering of the local population continues to increase. The United Nations estimates that 12 million people have been displaced, 25 million are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance, and over 400,000 people have been killed. This is the worst humanitarian disaster in the world today. The intensity of the fighting and violence, and the bureaucratic restrictions imposed by both sides, have severely limited international humanitarian assistance.
Out of this death and dust, the Sudanese themselves have stepped up. The Sudanese have a long-standing tradition of communities coming together as volunteers to help people in need. They have now taken that model to another level. Immediately after the fighting began in April 2023, local community groups set up communal kitchens to provide food to people displaced from their homes, and basic emergency first aid to people who were injured. These are staffed entirely by volunteers and use whatever local resources they have. They called themselves “Emergency Response Rooms (ERRs)”.
The ERRs have quickly spread across the country, in both Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) controlled areas and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) controlled areas. They have expanded their services – based on the need and the resources they have – to include psychosocial support (especially to rape victims), childcare centers, shelter, emergency evacuations. and even some basic infrastructure repair. These volunteers are often targeted by the military groups, their money (what little they have) sometimes stolen, and put in prison or even killed. Yet they continue to work and have organized themselves nationwide. They are often the only source of humanitarian assistance to the people in need. These ERRs are still very limited and not nearly enough to meet all the needs, but being community-led, they meet the people where they are, in a very personal manner. There are now hundreds – maybe thousands – of ERRs throughout the country, with the bigger towns/cities having dozens of them, so they really have a broad reach to the neediest people.
READ MORE: www.mutualaidsudan.org