The war broke out towards the end of Ramadan. Most people across Sudan, including myself, were preparing for Eid. But instead of celebrations, on 15 April 2023, we woke to a full-scale war raging in the heart of the capital, Khartoum.
This war, which is still ongoing, has forced displacement, loss, and uncertainty onto the Sudanese population. But we were no strangers to these hardships, as Sudanese people were already living precarious lives on different scales before the shooting started in 2023, and also before the 2018 uprising that preceded it. The conflict is rooted in layered and longstanding issues, including chronic political instability, external interference and aggression, as well as a complex and rich history.
Sudan has endured harsh economic sanctions for over three decades, and citizens have borne the greatest burden. The sanctions have excluded us from the global system, denying us access to opportunities and resources that others take for granted. Among other consequences, they fuelled economic migration and brain drain, creating a society where many households relied on family members working abroad long before the war.
