Sudan: how is WFP overcoming complex logistics challenges and ensuring the safety of its food during large-scale emergencies?

Sudan’s war has raged for more than a year and a half. It is the only place in the world where famine has been confirmed in seven years and half of Sudan’s population – 25.6 million people – faces acute hunger. WFP is working around the clock to expand operations to support up to 8.4 million people by the end of 2024. So far this year, WFP has supported over 6 million internally displaced people, refugees and vulnerable communities with food and cash assistance, despite security issues and complex supply chain challenges.

To understand how WFP manages to operate in such a demanding context – one of the most complex and dangerous operating environments in the world - while safeguarding the safety and quality of the food distributed to people at scale, we spoke with our Supply Chain and Delivery team on the ground. Their commitment is evident as they seek innovative solutions to overcome the obstacles of this operation, all with a single priority in mind: reaching those who are suffering, wherever they may be, without exception. Read on to learn more about their work.

How fast did we have to scale-up our operation in Sudan when the conflict erupted and how did we manage to safely source the large quantities of food needed?

WFP has delivered food assistance to millions in Sudan since 1963. An additional 14 million people have been plunged into acute hunger since the conflict erupted, prompting WFP to rapidly expand its operations to meet the escalating crisis.

• Phillip Hovmand, WFP’s Head of Procurement in Sudan: In 2023, WFP bought and distributed 83,705 metric tons of food, worth US$ 56 million, including sorghum, wheat flour, lentils, vegetable oil, date bars, salt and fortified biscuits for its emergency response throughout Sudan. So far this year, we have bought 117,082 metric tons at a value of over US$ 65 million – enough to fill around 3,500 trucks – for people across the country. Of this, almost 40% was sourced locally, injecting US$ 26 million into the local economy, and the remaining 60% from global markets, all following strict food standard specifications.
• Kebede Seifu, WFP’s Logistics Officer in Sudan: The food sourced globally is transported into Sudan by ship, trucks or planes. Most of it transits through Port Sudan – Sudan’s main seaport - where WFP’s warehouse can safely store up to 72,000 metric tons.
• Adnan Arshad, WFP’s Safety and Quality Officer in Sudan: Every food commodity entering the country is inspected on arrival by Sudan’s food regulatory authorities and WFP’s local logistics officers and food technologists, to ensure  that the commodities are of good quality, meeting local and international food regulatory standards and requirements. For locally procured food commodities, WFP mobilizes third-party food inspection companies to ensure local food regulatory standards are met on the ground. WFP also performs compliance food testing with internationally accredited food laboratories to ensure the quality, safety and legality of all commodities.   

WFP “buys local” wherever possible. Even in the depth of crisis, we turn to local suppliers, thereby supporting local economies. Has this been possible in Sudan since the conflict started?

• Melissa Melayansari, WFP’s Procurement Officer in Sudan: About 39% of the food bought this year for Sudan – equivalent to 46,000 metric tons – was procured locally, with 9.5% sourced directly from farmers. WFP has identified 37 farmer organizations across the country as potential suppliers since 2022. Most of them received training in food safety and procurement processes, as well as equipment such as stitching machines and weighing scales to help increase their production and improve market access. However, the ongoing conflict has impacted the volume of food we have been able to buy directly from farmers: only six farmer groups in the eastern part of Sudan were able to supply WFP this year, providing a total of 4,375 metric tons of sorghum – less than initially planned. Additionally, WFP had contracted nine farmer organizations in the west for more than 5,000 metric tons of sorghum, but conflict in that area made sourcing from them impossible.

WFP also buys food from large local manufacturers, such as Sayga, a Sudanese flour producer who recently provided 3,700 metric tons of wheat flour. 2,200 metric tons of this flour was processed from wheat sourced from local smallholder farmers.

What are the main logistics challenges in this operation?

• Kebede Seifu, WFP’s Logistics Officer in Sudan: Logistics operations in Sudan, especially in regions like Darfur, Kordofan, and other affected areas have encountered significant challenges due to increased security concerns, restricted access, and lengthy clearance procedures. These factors have led to delays in food deliveries reaching their final destinations. The lack of communication network coverage in most of the Darfur, Kordofan regions and Gezira State have made it difficult for WFP to coordinate and timely report on its trucks and food movements.

In August this year, devastating floods – the worst in 40 years - added to the misery caused by the war and to the complexity of WFP’s operations. WFP provided food assistance to an additional 90,000 people affected by the flooding. Floods further delayed the transport and delivery of lifesaving assistance, with bridges and roads washed out. Multiple convoys carrying over 6,000 metric tons of assistance were slowed by impassable roads, forced to reroute where bridges had been swept away, or forced to wait until seasonal riverbeds had dried out.

• Kebede Seifu: To overcome these challenges and avoid food damage, with some trucks stuck for close to two months, WFP had to explore new delivery routes across the country and open new delivery corridors, such as a western corridor through Chad and a northern corridor from Egypt. WFP also introduced third-party traffic monitors along the routes and fitted GPS trackers on commercial trucks moving WFP’s food to improve tracking. We also expanded our own fleet of trucks.

How do we safeguard the quality and safety of the food during transportation to and from WFP’s warehouses?

• Adnan Arshad: The food is regularly inspected during transportation and on arrival to WFP’s warehouses by our warehouse staff. We provide regular technical support and training to WFP’s logistics staff to ensure food safety and quality assurance during storage and transportation up to the last mile. In such a big operation where the quantities of food are significantly high, we are proactively and preventively mitigating food safety and quality risks within the whole food supply chain, while facing many different challenges on the ground. We are adapting our processes to respond faster without compromising the quality, safety and legality of the food and safeguarding the health of the people to whom we deliver. Currently, local ISO 17025 accredited food testing laboratories are not operational anymore due to the ongoing conflict. For compliance purposes, WFP regularly collects food samples from the upstream and downstream supply chain and sends them outside Sudan to ensure the food commodities are meeting local and international food regulatory standards. In parallel, we implement risk mitigation measures on the ground and coordinate with Sudan’s regulatory authorities to mitigate regulatory-related incidents.

How do we support vulnerable communities in parts of Sudan that are inaccessible due to fighting and insecurity? And how can we monitor the quality of the food in these cases?

• Nasrin Elbashir, WFP’s Cash-Based Transfers and Retailers Engagement Officer: In these areas, WFP collaborates with a network of international and local NGOs, known as cooperating partners, to deliver cash assistance and commodity vouchers to vulnerable communities. WFP scaled up its cash-based support this year to reach nearly 1.8 million people so far this year — up from 660,000. Those receiving WFP's cash and vouchers use them to shop in local stores. To ensure these stores have sufficient stock, WFP has been actively seeking solutions, particularly in areas where local markets are struggling. WFP launched a pilot initiative, partnering with upstream suppliers — including importers, wholesalers, and distributors — who have been tasked with supplying small, locally-owned shops with the commodities and ingredients specified in WFP’s food basket.

In Darfur, WFP also works directly with selected local retailers. More than 50 retailers are currently receiving WFP payments to purchase food supplies for their shops. Finding commodities is not easy, but most of them are able to source supplies from Chad, paying extra to secure their goods.

• Nasrin Elbashir: WFP’s cooperating partners are on the ground to monitor the quality of the services provided by the shops and perform regular food quality visual checks. Limiting the number of contracted suppliers facilitates food quality verifications, enabling a quick identification of potential food contamination during spot checks or performance monitoring. This ensures adherence to quality standards throughout the supply chain and reduces the risk of substandard food reaching those in need. Through this approach, communities receiving WFP’s cash assistance benefit from stable, negotiated food prices, improved availability of essential items, reliable access to a diverse range of food commodities and an increase of their purchasing power. In turn, WFP is better positioned to mitigate supply chain risks and maintain a consistent flow of essential goods. This stability not only reduces operational uncertainties but also strengthens WFP's capacity to respond effectively to the ongoing emergency, ensuring uninterrupted support for communities in need.

In Khartoum, we have also been using another way to reach vulnerable people through community kitchens. How does that work?

Despite all efforts, Sudan’s embattled capital Khartoum has only been intermittently accessible for WFP’s trucks since the beginning of the war. Due to the unavailability of functioning retailers, as well as shortages of electricity and communication means, WFP is supporting community kitchens to provide daily hot meals.

• Isadora D’Aimmo, Head of Khartoum Operation: These kitchens, run by neighbourhood-based mutual aid groups called emergency response rooms, are operated by volunteers who put their lives at risk in order to help the community. 197 community kitchens, ranging from small fireplace set-ups to bigger, more organized kitchens serve up to 341,256 hot meals daily - a lifeline for millions of families. For many it’s the only meal they will eat that day.
• Deblina Sarkar, WFP’s Food Technologist, Headquarters: WFP helps to keep the kitchens running by teaming up with local NGOs who support them in buying food, preparing and distributing the meals. WFP’s Food Safety Assurance team, led by the local Food Safety and Quality Officer and supported by the Regional Bureau and Headquarters, works closely with all partners to ensure safe food practices. Training sessions and materials were provided to partners to help them choose low-risk foods and handle and store ingredients safely. The training also covers site, personnel and equipment hygiene and sanitation requirements as well as best practices for the distribution of hot meals. A key challenge with hot meals is to make sure that the food is not left for more than two hours at room temperature as it promotes the growth of bacteria, which is carefully monitored.
• Adnan Arshad: WFP also monitors the kitchens’ operations through third party monitors – trained partners who are responsible for surveilling the kitchens, conducting onsite physical inspections, identifying non-compliance and proposing corrective and preventive actions to uphold the quality, safety and legality of the cooked meals served to people.
• Nasrin Elbashir: Hot meals are more difficult to manage and monitor as the kitchens serve all civilians who come to them. But the positive side is that we have managed to reach people who were suffering from scarcity of commodities and were completely isolated.