Sudan at 1,000 Days of War: Giving Up Is Not an Option

Moatinoon
Nearly 1,000 days after the outbreak of conflict in Sudan, harrowing human stories continue to emerge, revealing the scale of the catastrophe facing millions of civilians amid a war with no clear end in sight and declining international attention as global crises multiply.

Nahid Ali, Communications Director at Plan Sudan, is one of millions of Sudanese forced to flee their homes in the early days of the conflict. She left her home in Khartoum with her family and relocated to Kassala State in eastern Sudan, becoming internally displaced in her own country while bearing witness to unrelenting human suffering.

Caught between her personal story as a displaced woman and her responsibilities as an international humanitarian worker in Sudan, Nahid takes a firm stance and a decisive position amid overwhelming needs and scarce resources facing humanitarian action, insisting that “giving up is not an option.”

Nahid says her most recent humanitarian mission to Al-Afad in Sudan’s Northern State exposed stories beyond description. There, she met women and girls who had fled El-Fasher after surviving grave violations, including sexual violence and the loss of family members under shelling. One woman recounted how she buried her children with her own hands in the courtyard of her home after they died of hunger, while another still does not know the fate of her missing husband and son following attacks on their area.

Nahid adds that a young girl told her her education had come to a complete halt since the war began, and that she had lost her sense of safety after being sexually assaulted while attempting to flee El-Fasher. In another account, a woman witnessed her sister being killed instantly by artillery fire, leaving behind seven children with no caregiver.

According to Nahid, these testimonies are not isolated incidents but reflect the daily reality of millions across Sudan. After nearly 1,000 days of conflict, health, education, and security systems continue to deteriorate rapidly. Meanwhile, humanitarian aid convoys face delays, obstruction, and even direct attacks, deepening the suffering of civilians trapped in hard-to-reach and besieged areas.

Nahid stresses that women and girls are paying the heaviest price. Women’s bodies have become weapons of war, exposing them to widespread sexual and physical violence, while many children arrive alone at displacement shelters after being separated from their families during long and dangerous journeys.

As a displaced Sudanese mother and humanitarian worker, Nahid issues an urgent appeal to the international community, governments, donors, media outlets, and global civil society to keep Sudan at the top of humanitarian and political agendas. She calls for stronger protection of civilians, accountability for violations of international humanitarian law, and sustained, flexible funding to ensure life-saving aid reaches those most in need.

She concludes: “The needs are immense, resources are scarce, and funding remains insufficient — but our resolve is unwavering, because giving up is not an option.”