News & Updates
Check out the latest from Sudan and our movement
Followup Letter To Biden Administration Calling For Targeted Sanctions On Sudan's Coup Leaders
Operation Broken Silence is joining 100+ NGOs, experts, and scholars in calling on the Biden Administration to initiate targeted sanctions on coup leaders in Sudan.
With the security and political crisis in Sudan worsening, Operation Broken Silence is once again joining 100+ NGOs and experts in calling on the Biden Administration to impose targeted sanctions on the military leaders of the illegal coup.
On October 25, 2021, Sudanese Generals Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, aka Hemeti, overthrew Sudan’s fragile transitional government. Both men were holdovers from the brutal Bashir regime, which was swept from power during the country’s peaceful 2019 revolution.
These military figures are connected to previous and ongoing human rights abuses and war crimes, with forces under their command carrying out genocidal attacks in Darfur, the Nuba Mountains, and Blue Nile regions and targeting peaceful protesters in major cities. It was Hemeti’s Rapid Support Forces who carried out the brutal June 2019 massacre in Khartoum. Since their coup in October 2021, their armed forces have killed scores of peaceful protesters and attacked, tortured, and force disappeared countless more.
There are zero signs that such abuses will end, with diplomatic efforts and ongoing peaceful protests across the country failing to change the dark path these men have put Sudan on. Reality demands a more robust international response, including a minimum of targeted sanctions against the primary individuals responsible for derailing Sudan’s fragile transition to democracy and toward peace.
Sanctions should not be used in a vacuum. They should be connected to rapidly evolving events on the ground, the aspirations and needs of the Sudanese people, and a broader overall strategy to help restore the democratic transition in Sudan.
The Letter
Operation Broken Silence is joining 100+ NGOs and experts in calling on the Biden Administration to impose targeted sanctions on the coup leaders. Our last letter was delivered in May 2022 and has received no response.
Read the letter and see the full list of signatories.
Letters like these can make a difference. Shortly before the October 2021 coup in Khartoum, Operation Broken Silence joined another letter calling on the Biden Administration to nominate an ambassador or appoint a special envoy to Sudan. At that point, more than two years after Sudan’s peaceful revolution swept core elements of the Bashir regime from power, the United States still had no consistent senior-level engagement in Sudan.
President Biden responded in January 2022 by nominating John Godfrey, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, to become Ambassador to Sudan. He was confirmed by the U.S. Senate in July 2022.
Get Involved
Operation Broken Silence has been working in the Nuba Mountains of Sudan since 2011. Empowering local solutions like these is the best way to create lasting change in Sudan.
Building clean water infrastructure goes beyond ensuring basic health needs. Clean water is also about improving security. It’s about empowering women by putting time back into their day. And it’s about educating children by giving them the time to go to school.
We’re taking on this project because we listened to the people living here and because no one else will serve them. You can help by starting a fundraising campaign and asking friends and family to give, or by making a donation.
OTHER WAYS TO HELP
Make checks payable to Operation Broken Silence, write Water in the memo line, and mail to P.O. Box 770900 Memphis, TN 38177-0900
Issac's Story
Issac was born in the village of Tabulla in the oppressed Nuba Mountains of Sudan. This is his story.
This story is part of the Water is Life campaign. Our supporters from around the world are joining together to bring clean water to roughly 7,000 people in a forgotten corner of the Nuba Mountains of Sudan. Learn more and consider joining us after the story.
Issac was born in the village of Tabulla on the western edge of the oppressed Nuba Mountains of Sudan. Like many Sudanese children, he doesn’t know his exact birthday, just that he came into the world in 2009 during the last few years of a fragile ceasefire.
When the Sudanese government began waging another war against the Nuba people in 2011, Issac’s family was forced to flee their village, which was suddenly close to the frontlines. They returned a few years later when the tide shifted in favor of Nuba self-defense forces.
The daily search for clean water became the most dangerous part of life. Tabulla and nearby villages do not have a clean water source, which means people have to leave the safety of community to find whatever water they can.
When Issac was six years old, his mother went searching for water. She returned late that night with an empty jerry can, having spent most of the day hiding from government paramilitaries searching the area. He almost lost his mother that day.
Today, Issac is the one who goes out in search of dirty water. A ceasefire is in place, and the surrounding area is somewhat safer than it used to be. But a permanent peace agreement remains elusive. Occasionally, he finds himself avoiding the same paramilitaries who seem uninterested in peace, the same ones who almost claimed his mother’s life. “I am scared they will find me one day,” he said. “And my mother won’t know what happened to me.”
Life here is harder than it should be. Issac shouldn’t have to search for water. He should be in school, because clean water is accessible and free near home. He says “If we get this well that our leaders keep telling us about, my life will change. All our lives will change. So much will be better.”
Issac’s story is a reminder that building infrastructure for clean water to flow goes beyond ensuring basic health needs. Clean water is also about improving security. It’s about empowering women by putting time back into their day. And it’s about educating children by giving them the time to go to school.
Empowering local solutions like these is the best way to create lasting change in Sudan. Operation Broken Silence has been working in this region of the country since 2011. We’re taking on this project because we listened to the people living here, and because no one else will serve them. You can help by starting a fundraising campaign and asking friends and family to give, or by making a donation.
OTHER WAYS TO HELP
Make checks payable to Operation Broken Silence, write Water in the memo line, and mail to P.O. Box 770900 Memphis, TN 38177-0900
Mother of Mercy Hospital Update - August 2022
Get the latest news from the only referral hospital in the Nuba Mountains of Sudan.
Mother of Mercy Hospital in the Nuba Mountains of Sudan serves as the backbone of the healthcare system in this fragile region. The main referral facility in Gidel and its string of community clinics serve over 150,000+ patients year. The local staff performs operations, battles cancer and preventable diseases, and brings new children into the world.
Photo provided by Dr. Tom Catena
Magdalene’s Story
A few times a year, the hospital’s medical director Dr. Tom Catena shares a story of one of their patients or a member of the local staff who is leaving a lasting impression on the team:
As I sit down to write this, all I can say is thank you from the bottom of my heart. Your continued support has provided people in the Nuba Mountains with an abundance of hope and health.
I want to share a story with you about one of our current nurses, Magdalene Ali, who came to us first as a patient. The compassionate care she received from our team inspired her to become a nurse.
“I was attracted by how the nurses spoke to me and how they did their work,” Magdalene shared with me. Her work gives her a sense of purpose and fills her with hope as she cares for others. “I feel good when a patient comes in needing help, and after a time, they are recovering and talking with me and smiling,” she beamed. “I feel I have done something good.”
Watching healthcare providers like Magdalene use their gifts to serve others brings me great joy and hope for the future of Nuba. Their passion, gentleness, and respect for our patients mean everything. Being able to speak into the lives of both patients and medical professionals here in Nuba excites me.
Every day, more and more people arrive at the hospital—some travel extremely long distances to receive treatment. And as the area becomes more accessible with the relative peace in the region, the need for more resources continues to grow. With your gift, you can help ensure the hospital in Nuba has what it needs to serve patients with a high level of care.
For Magdalene, the nurses who cared for her helped shape her future. Today, she and her coworkers are doing the same.
Photo provided by Dr. Tom Catena
Recent News
2022 has been another busy year. The fragile ceasefire in the Nuba Mountains continues to allow for better freedom of movement. People are even coming from as far away as Khartoum for help, a testament to the high quality of care and reputation of the staff.
In July, the hospital wrapped up a multimillion dollar capital campaign to fund the construction of new medical training center and a number of other updates to the hospital’s infrastructure. Dr. Tom believes that with these improvements, the hospital will be in a stronger position to thrive for at least the next 20 years!
The opening of the clinical school is now right around the corner. This has been a dream project for the hospital’s staff for years, allowing for the training of local Sudanese nurses, midwives, and physician assistants locally. More healthcare workers are desperately needed in the Nuba region. The new facilities and trainings will help alleviate the healthcare worker shortage over time. The first cohort of 20 new clinical officers has already started their orientation and construction projects remain ongoing.
Operation Broken Silence is managing funds for a multi-org project that is bringing new batteries, building materials and tools, and other resources to improve the power infrastructure at the hospital and get the clinical school up and running. These are items that can’t be sourced locally that will have a major impact on daily operations. They will also help with several other upcoming construction projects in the area. Critical items are being secured and shipping plans are being put into motion now.
This has also been a difficult season at the hospital. Several weeks ago, there was a break-in and major theft on hospital grounds. This caused disruptions to the hospital’s services as staff were pulled from duties to be questioned by the regional government as part of an investigation. Thankfully, over half of what was taken has now been recovered, and generous donors have taken care of the rest!
We missed adding this piece of good news in our last update. Earlier this year, an eye team from South Africa visited the hospital to perform over 100 cataract surgeries and assess more than 700 patients with eye complaints. This also meant that the rest of the hospital was exceptionally busy, as everyone who came with an eye issue also brought a relative who had health issues or COVID-19.
This is a but a small snapshot of the life-changing work done every day at the hospital. To make sure you never miss an update, sign up for our free email list!
Photo provided by Dr. Tom Catena
Get Involved
Operation Broken Silence is building a global movement to empower the Sudanese people through innovative programs as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. We are one of several nonprofit organizations fundraising for Mother of Mercy Hospital.
This critical healthcare facility is funded by private supporters from around the world. When we all do our small part, the hospital staff, trainees, and the Nuba people thrive. The fastest and easiest way to help is to make a quick one-time donation online, or setup a small monthly gift to help provide the team the consistent support they need.
OTHER WAYS TO HELP
Start a fundraising page and ask friends and family to give
Make checks payable to Operation Broken Silence, write Hospital in the memo line, and mail to P.O. Box 770900 Memphis, TN, 38177-0900
United States confirms first Ambassador to Sudan in 25 years
On July 14, 2022, the United States Senate confirmed John Godfrey as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Sudan.
Yesterday, the United States Senate confirmed John Godfrey as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Sudan. The confirmation could not come at a better time, with the military takeover in Sudan last year derailing the country’s fragile transition to democracy and all but ending prospects for real peace.
Ambassador Godfrey will have a full plate at the U.S. embassy in Khartoum, which has not been led by an ambassador since 1997. Since the embassy reopened in 2002, a number of Chargé d'Affaires ad interim have overseen basic operations, with specially appointed presidential envoys shuttling around the region for higher-level engagement.
Here is Ambassador Godfrey’s full statement to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee concerning his nomination:
Mr. Chairman, Ranking Member, distinguished members of the committee, thank you for the opportunity to appear before you today as the President’s nominee to be the first U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Sudan in 25 years, and thank you for your strong support for a democratic Sudan. I am grateful to President Biden and Secretary Blinken for the confidence they have placed in me. If confirmed, I look forward to working with this Committee to advance America’s interests in Sudan.
I am grateful to share this day with family, for whom public service has been important. My father’s career as an Air Force officer took my family overseas for much of my childhood, instilling appreciation for service to country and an abiding curiosity about the wider world. I want to thank my wonderful wife, Jennifer Hall Godfrey, a Senior Foreign Service Officer, for her love, partnership, and support during a rewarding but challenging pair of careers in which we have largely served at hardship and danger posts. I also want to commend our two sterling sons, Nathaniel and Jack, for their intrepid spirit and resilience, acknowledging that if I am confirmed our family will serve apart on two continents, as so many Foreign Service families do.
Much of my two decades of service has been in societies that were closed or in transition during challenging times. That necessitated engaging tough interlocutors on issues they often would have preferred to avoid and high-level negotiations on consequential issues. I am no stranger to Sudan. In pre-revolution Libya I worked on humanitarian and political issues related to Darfur; in the Counterterrorism Bureau I was closely involved in rescinding Sudan’s designation as a State Sponsor of Terrorism. In important ways, this nomination represents a continuation of those efforts. If confirmed, I will draw on that broad experience to advance U.S. interests in Sudan.
Sudan is at a moment of great peril: the military takeover on October 25 and lack of an agreement establishing the framework for a civilian-led transition worsened the country’s political, economic, and security crises. The devastating human toll of recent violence in Darfur is just one example of the dangers of the current political paralysis. Realizing the promise of Sudan’s democratic revolution is important for the Sudanese people, who have consistently and courageously demanded more human rights respecting, accountable and effective governance; for stability in the strategically important Red Sea region; and as a potential exemplar of the benefits that democracy brings. In a potent example for neighboring countries, the Sudanese people have made clear through four years of sustained activism that they are unwilling to have their demands for civilian rule and democracy ignored or coopted.
The immediate imperative is assisting Sudanese stakeholders in establishing a sustainable civilian-led transition and maintaining regional and international consensus on the way forward. The current process facilitated by the UN, the African Union and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development affords the best foreseeable opportunity to establish the framework for an inclusive civilian- led transition, redefine the security services’ appropriate role, and advance elections, economic reforms, human rights, justice and accountability, and enduring peace, including in historically marginalized areas like Darfur and the Two Areas.
To facilitate that process, the military government must take steps to foster a climate conducive to political dialogue, including ending violence against protestors, lifting the State of Emergency, and releasing unjustly detained activists.
The rights of all individuals in Sudan, including members of minority groups, women, youth, and those in historically marginalized areas, must be protected and their voices heard in building a new Sudan. If confirmed, I will work with Sudanese and other partners in support of establishing a path to a credible, sustainable civilian-led democratic transition in Sudan.
Doing so is urgently important in light of Sudan’s economic and humanitarian crises. Economic reforms that would have led to debt relief and international support were paused due to the military takeover, sparking a fiscal crisis and hyperinflation. Rising prices and wheat shortages worsened by Russia’s unprovoked war against Ukraine mean the number of food-insecure Sudanese could double to 18 million by September. If confirmed, I will work with Sudanese and international partners to ensure that humanitarian needs are met and emphasize that resuming paused development assistance is predicated on a credible civilian- led democratic transition. As Secretary Blinken said, “We remain poised to use all tools at our disposal to support the Sudanese people in their pursuit of a democratic, human rights-respecting, and prosperous Sudan.”
If confirmed, I look forward to leading our Embassy in Khartoum. My highest priority will be ensuring the safety and security of our American and locally employed staff, and of Americans who live and work in Sudan.
Thank you again for the opportunity to appear here today. I look forward to your questions.
Operation Broken Silence is building a global movement to empower the Sudanese people through innovative programs as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. We focus on empowering Sudanese change makers and their critical work, specifically in areas of education and healthcare.
After decades of war, roughly 7,000 people in a cluster of villages in the western Nuba Mountains of Sudan lack a clean water source. We’re working with one of our Sudanese partners to help change that, but we need you to help us cross the finish line.
OTHER WAYS TO HELP
Make checks payable to Operation Broken Silence, write Water in the memo line, and mail to P.O. Box 770900 Memphis, TN, 38177-0900
Not ready to jump in yet? That’s okay! Sign up for our free email list.
Movement Spotlight: 2022 Governor's School
Some of the brightest high school students in Tennessee are propelling our mission forward.
For the last 6 years, Operation Broken Silence has been part of the nonprofit service day at Governor’s School for International Studies, hosted by the University of Memphis. Some of the brightest high school students from across Tennessee participate in this program to explore their interests in global issues, diplomacy, and human rights.
This year, a group of these incredible young leaders helped our staff create a new fundraising campaign that will bring clean water to over 7,000 people in a forgotten corner of the Nuba Mountains of Sudan. One of these students, Bianca Dishmon, says:
I think learning about Sudan was an interesting experience for me. I went into non-profit day knowing nothing about the country at all, so every bit of information that I learned was new and interesting.”
Bianca and her peers collaborated on creating language for multiple parts of the campaign. Then, they tested out their work by starting fundraising pages of their own, raising almost $1,000 in the first hour! Isabelle Mansour shared about her experience :
My main takeaway from helping to build the campaign was the teamwork it took to raise the money needed. My advice to people considering starting their own fundraising page is to thoroughly explain the problem because emotional language helps others sympathize with the cause.
By the end of the day, the students collectively raised over $3,000 for the water project! When we asked Bianca what she thought people might want to know about fundraising with Operation Broken Silence, she shared:
Going into it, I think it's important to be educated on the subject matter. When I was canvassing, people would ask about exactly what the cause was for, and I think without the education on the topic provided to us through Operation Broken Silence, I wouldn't have been able to articulate the importance of the organization. I also think that it's important to go in with a positive mindset. There will be encounters where people might not be willing to donate, and it's important to look at the bigger picture and continue canvassing despite the roadblocks.
GET INVOLVED
Operation Broken Silence is building a global movement to empower the Sudanese people through innovative programs as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. That means we need people just like you to join us in supporting our Sudanese partners.
As of the time of this post, we’re already halfway to our goal for the water project! Young leaders just like Bianca and Isabelle are bringing this campaign to life. You can join them by launching your own fundraising page or making a donation.
Additional ways to support:
Make checks payable to Operation Broken Silence, write Water in the memo line, and mail to P.O. Box 770900 Memphis, TN, 38177-0900
Not ready to jump in yet? That’s okay! Sign up for our free email list.
About Us
Operation Broken Silence is building a global movement to empower the Sudanese people through innovative programs as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
We focus on empowering Sudanese change makers and their critical work. Learn more.
Donations are tax-deductible within the guidelines of U.S. law. Give here.
The 10th Annual Soirée For Sudan
On May 6, our supporters celebrated ten years of Soirée For Sudan, an evening benefiting childhood education in Yida Refugee Camp.
On May 6, our supporters celebrated ten years of Soirée For Sudan, an evening benefiting childhood education in Yida Refugee Camp. This was our first in-person event since we were forced to cancel the 2020 soirée at the last minute due to COVID-19. Thank you to all of you who showed up!
The evening was made possible by a few talented and dedicated people we want to highlight. Zack Jennings designed and served the Sudan-themed cocktails for the evening. El Mero Taco brought the tasty eats. And Laramie Renae with Wandering Creative captured the evening on camera.
Our staff would also like to thank Sarah Roberts, Stephen Hackett, and Taylor Austin for assisting with setup and breakdown.
DOWNLOAD PHOTOS
Hit the button below to download your photos, or find them on Facebook.
This soirée was quite a bit smaller than 2019. As we continue to rebuild following a difficult few years, we look forward to slowly growing Soirée For Sudan into something new and great with you —our dedicated supporters— to benefit more teachers and students in Yida Refugee Camp.
If you’d like to join us on this journey, we encourage you to sign up for our email list below. You can also make a donation to support changemakers in Sudan.
About Us
Operation Broken Silence is building a global movement to empower the Sudanese people through innovative programs as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
We focus on empowering Sudanese change makers and their critical work. Learn more.
Donations are tax-deductible within the guidelines of U.S. law. Give here.