Paper short abstract:

This paper examines digital food assistance and politics in Sudan, in particular the role of non-state actors such of civil society, international organisations, private sector, the neoliberalisation and weaponization of linked practices, and its impact on governance and food security.

Paper long abstract:

Non-state actors have long played a role in both politics and aid in Sudan. This includes civil society, international organisations and private sector entities. Aid, mostly food aid, has been provided and used for political purposes, and has been perceived as undermining sovereignty by the Sudan government. Government suppressed and controlled civil society in response, and benefited through its closely linked traders and transporters. Aid digitalisation brings in new actors such as banks, money transfer agents, telecoms and internet providers, each of whom will also have their own interests and motivations. The use of aid practices for political ends continued during the revolution, for example in attempts to undermine/coopt the political role of the resistance committees, promoting neoliberal policies that shrank state social protection role. This continues to be a risk in the current war in many ways. War related militarisation, securitisation, surveillance, check points, accusations, arbitrary detention are leading to the shrinking of civil society and NGO actors. On the other hand, some new crony business actors benefit from digitalization. In addition, warring parties and their regional backers weaponised the infrastructure required for providing aid and finance: comms, internet, banks. This paper will examine these trends, and its impact on food security and political economy, using the findings from two years of research into the politics of digitalising food assistance in Sudan. This will include fieldwork conducted in Darfur, Omdurman, Al-Gezira and Kassala in the first half of 2025.