Paper details
| Paper authors | Tamer Abd Elkreem (University of Khartoum) and Susanne Jaspars (SOAS, University of London) |
| In panel on | The politics of food and technology in changing global and local crises |
| Paper presenter(s) will be presenting |
In-Person / |
Abstract
Food assistance has a long history in Sudan as has its manipulation for political purposes. Efforts to digitalise finance, food, and social assistance started in the mid-2010s and has proliferated since the 2019 revolution and the post-2023 war. This includes the use of biometrics for ID, pre-paid bank cards, electronic vouchers, and mobile money, which involves a range of organisations, authorities, and companies (e.g. telecoms, internet providers, banks, merchants). In this paper, we use findings from our ESRC funded project to examine the political, economic and food security effects of digitalising food assistance. In particular, we examine recipient experience in different parts of Sudan (controlled by different warring factions) and interaction with local politics. We examine the role of diaspora aid, what excluded people do, and the implications of using Starlink. The paper also analyses how these practices are influenced by, and feed into, national, regional and international politics, for example, the currency change, the role of the UAE, military/security links to telecoms and financial institutions, as well as the withdrawal of USAID funding. The paper draws some preliminary conclusions on the effect of digitalisation on food security in Sudan and for conflict situations elsewhere.
