News & Updates
Check out the latest from Sudan and our movement
The Coup In Sudan - One Year Anniversary
The regime is still in power in Sudan. Learn more and discover ways to help.
Friends and supporters,
Today marks the first anniversary of the coup in Sudan. As expected, countless protesters are in the streets demanding their country back from the illegitimate junta.
Internet monitoring group Netblocks has confirmed the regime is blocking internet access across Sudan. Reuters reporters in Khartoum witnessed protesters burning tires and chanting "power belongs to the people, the military belongs in the barracks," even as security forces fired heavy tear gas into unarmed and peaceful crowds.
This difficult milestone comes amidst a particularly brutal few weeks across Sudan. Conservative estimates put the number of protesters seriously wounded since the coup at over 7,000 people. But it is marginalized Sudanese in the long oppressed hinterlands who continue to suffer the most under a dangerous mix of severe regime violence and aggressive governmental incompetence.
Recent fighting in Blue Nile state has consumed the state capital and several more communities, killing over 250 people and leaving thousands more homeless. In Abyei, outbreaks of political violence have tripled since last year alone. Regime-backed attacks on defenseless civilians in Darfur has surged this year. And violence by regime-backed Misseriya tribes against Nuba communities in West Kordofan recently became so severe that it prompted a temporary and dangerous ceasefire collapse between the regime and the usually restrained Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North. (Note: Operation Broken Silence works in the Nuba Mountains nearby, which is controlled by the SPLM-N.)
Sudanese demonstrators attend a rally to demand the return to civilian rule nearly a year after a military coup led by Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, in Khartoum, Sudan, Friday, Oct. 21, 2022. (AP Photo/Marwan Ali)
The big picture results? The economy is in tatters, more Sudanese are under threat of direct violence today than they were a year ago, and a third of the country’s children cannot even attend school. Sudan is backsliding. The generals in Khartoum do little more than fuel conflict across the country and between themselves as they jockey for power. One is forced to conclude that these self-proclaimed “guardians of the revolution” are and will continue to be a catastrophic failure in every way imaginable.
This time last year we asked the obvious question: how many more must die before Sudan is truly free? This question remains unanswered today, and it is entirely the fault of a regime that chooses to remain in power daily. It is ordinary Sudanese who will continue paying the ultimate price and bearing the most devastating consequences of that decision.
The crises in Sudan are perhaps more complicated than ever before. Oddly, there is perhaps more clarity now as well. The military heads of the security forces have not only proven they have no skill to govern, but also that they can never be trusted again. The generals may believe the Sudanese people are their worst enemy; but, in reality, all they have to do is look in the mirror to see who the true enemy is.
With this clarity comes hope. One year after the coup, the courage of the Sudanese people remains unfazed. They never stopped protesting. Their voices are relentless in the face of a monster. They are proof that a different Sudan is possible in our lifetime. And it falls to us to deliver the support they need to reach their aspirations.
Get Involved
Operation Broken Silence has been working next to our Sudanese partners on the ground for over a decade. Our mission has always been focused on the long run, which is why empowering local solutions in the oppressed Nuba Mountains region is our top priority.
Building clean water infrastructure goes beyond ensuring basic health needs. Clean water improves security by keeping people closer to the safety of their communities. It empowers women by putting time back into their day. And clean water means children can go to school instead of spending hours searching for dirty water.
We’re taking on this water project because we listened to the people living here and because no one else will serve them. The fastest way to help is to make a quick one-time donation online or setup a monthly gift.
OTHER WAYS TO HELP
Start a fundraising page and ask friends and family to give! These last few months of the year are the perfect time to fundraise.
Join The Renewal, our monthly giving family that never stops fighting for change.
Make checks payable to Operation Broken Silence, write Water in the memo line, and mail to P.O. Box 770900 Memphis, TN 38177-0900
This has not been an easy year, but a major source of encouragement for me has been watching our Sudanese friends strive for a better future against the resurgence of a genocidal regime.
What they are fighting for is remarkable, but their efforts remain under severe threat. Let’s each play our small part in helping to give our Sudanese friends the best chance for real, lasting change.
Onward,
Mark C. Hackett
Executive Director
Nuba Education Update - October 2022
Get the latest news from our education program in the Nuba Mountains and Yida Refugee Camp.
In 2015, Operation Broken Silence began funding four Sudanese teachers in Yida Refugee Camp. They were giving lessons underneath a tree with a half of a broken chalkboard.
Their small, but bold effort blossomed into the Endure Primary and Renewal Secondary Schools thanks to your support. 24 Nuba teachers work here every day —supported by an additional 6 staff— and they run the show, not us. Over 900 students are currently in their classrooms every week. Endure Primary is the top performing elementary school in the region and a treasured possession of the Nuba community. More than 8,500 children have been served by the school to date. Renewal Secondary is nearing the end of a successful three-year phased opening that began in 2019.
Beyond these schools, Operation Broken Silence supports Yida’s only other secondary school, a national exam preparation program for all primary school students at other schools in Yida, and has begun delivering classroom supplies directly into the Nuba Mountains. It’s been a busy, but fruitful year.
One of the largest demographics in the Nuba Mountains and Yida Refugee Camp are children under the age of 16. Our Nuba education partner’s vision has always been to ensure that more children have the opportunity to attain a quality education.
Amir’s Story
Amir was born in the Nuba Mountains roughly a year before the war started. His family arrived in Yida in 2012 after the Sudanese government bombed their community. Amir doesn’t remember his village because he was so young when his family was forced to flee.
Yida has always been Amir’s home. Today, he is enrolled at the Endure Primary School, a place he loves. He says:
“Our teachers arrive at sunrise every day to prepare their lessons. Mostly they stay long after we leave until the sun goes down. They never give up. We would be lost without them. When I was struggling in my math, two of my teachers spent an hour with me after school every day for two weeks to help me.”
Amir’s family is talking about returning home because of the ceasefire in the Nuba Mountains. It will be a bittersweet moment when that day comes, as Amir yearns to see his family’s land but feels at home in Yida.
“I know that I am not meant to stay here in Yida forever. The time will come when I leave. But school is important now. I say thank you to all the people around the world who give us school supplies and support our teachers. I would not be here today without all of them.”
Recent News
Schools In Yida. It’s been a bittersweet year as many families are departing Yida and returning to their villages in the Nuba Mountains. Attendance at Endure Primary has remained at roughly 650 students daily throughout the year, while Renewal Secondary has risen to 260 students daily.
National exams were conducted in August. Out of the 500 students who sat in for testing, 412 passed with room to spare. English comprehension, specifically writing, was the primary struggle for the students who did not pass. This was in large part due to newer students who entered our classrooms throughout the year to replace those returning to the Nuba Mountains. The teachers are currently examining ways to provide additional support to these new students so they can advance during the next round.
Repairs were recently completed in classrooms that needed extra support. This included more weatherproofing, new roofs, and mended walls. This was made possible with some extra giving from our donors. The teachers and students thank you!
In early September, the teachers at Renewal Secondary held another health awareness workshop for students. This workshop was accompanied by the construction of an additional latrine at the schools and covered basic sanitation practices.
Photos: Classroom repairs in Yida Refugee Camp.
Broader Education Support In Yida. After years of financial struggles, the only other secondary school in Yida remains afloat with our support. Vision Secondary School was founded several years ago with pledges of support from other outside nonprofits and churches, none of which materialized. Sadly, there’s a long history of unfulfilled promises to the Nuba people. This isn’t the first mess created by others that Operation Broken Silence and our Nuba education partner has had to help clean up.
Some of the teachers we support at Renewal Secondary continue serving in classrooms at Vision to keep the school afloat. Since most of our teachers specialize in certain areas, they are bouncing back and forth between both schools to fill gaps left behind by Vision’s unpaid teachers, most of whom have now departed. Additional funding for Vision is practically non-existent, but the temporary assistance we are providing continues to bring some much needed stability to students there.
Endure Primary School continues to serve as the central national exam preparation facility for primary students in Yida. The camp’s eight additional primary schools receive support and resources annually for student test prep. This ancillary program has positively impacted an estimated 1,400 students this year!
Photos: Health awareness workshop and toilet construction at Renewal Secondary.
Classroom Supply Delivery To Nuba. Operation Broken Silence recently began sending a limited amount of school supplies to the new Tabulla Primary School in the Nuba Mountains. This is one of the villages that will also benefit from the water project we are currently fundraising for. To date, a number of items have been delivered including books, chalk, sporting equipment, and other basic supplies like pencils and paper.
Challenges. For those of you familiar with these updates, you know that we don’t shy away from sharing the challenges our Nuba education partner faces. While this has been a very successful year in all aspects of the education program, there are two long-term challenges that have led to some frustration for both of us.
First, it is common to find students of various ages in all grade levels at the schools in Yida. School openings and closings brought on by the war over the past 10 years have severely disrupted the childhood education experience. Today, children are placed in classrooms based on previous academic experience and need, not by age. While this leads to much better educational outcomes for students, it layers in some complexities with regards to national testing preparations and styles of teaching. This is a challenge largely outside of our control and will persist for years to come, but our Nuba education partner and the teachers are determined to find ways to meet this hard reality head on.
Second, fundraising for the teachers and students has slowly improved throughout the year, but most of these gains have been a wash due to global inflation. Rising costs coupled to smaller donations sizes means our Nuba education partner is running on roughly 80% of the funding the schools had in 2020, before the COVID-19 pandemic and political instability in the United States careened into our mission and movement. Unlike the above problem though, this is one that is solvable with your help.
Photo: Students at the Endure Primary School in Yida Refugee Camp.
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 the only organization in the world supporting childhood education in Yida Refugee Camp.
Without the Endure Primary and Renewal Secondary Schools, the entire education system in Yida would collapse. Teachers and kids are able to create the conditions for their people to thrive when we support them and the additional educational programs of our Nuba partner. The fastest way to help is to make a quick one-time donation online, or setup a small monthly gift to help provide them the consistent support they need.
OTHER WAYS TO HELP
Start a fundraising page and ask friends and family to give! These last few months of the year are the perfect time to fundraise.
Join The Renewal, our monthly giving family that never stops fighting for change.
Make checks payable to Operation Broken Silence, write Education in the memo line, and mail to P.O. Box 770900 Memphis, TN, 38177-0900.
A Call To Our Student Supporters
You have always played a central role in our movement. We need you once more.
Hello college and high school supporters!
You have always played a central role in our movement: hosting fundraisers, rallying your peers to fundraise, and introducing our mission to tens of thousands of people. All to support the Sudanese changemakers we partner with so their education, healthcare, and development programs can thrive.
We recently launched a new campaign for a critical clean water project in the western Nuba Mountains of Sudan. Our student supporters are again leading the way, making up 95% of our initial round of fundraisers. I am both amazed and unsurprised. Amazed at your passion and generosity and unsurprised with your consistency in showing up.
The campaign is off to a strong start, and I am currently talking with a half dozen student groups at various colleges and high schools about launching fundraising teams. But we still need more to complete this project.
CONTACT US
If you are part of a student group or club and are interested in helping to fundraise for this project, can you complete this short Google form? One of our staff will follow up with you soon!
We need to wrap up fundraising for the water project as soon as possible, but we will fundraise until every dollar needed is raised. Your group, club, sorority, or fraternity can help us reach the finish line!
Thank you so much for your support over the years. Our Sudanese partners have always been impressed by the number of young people joining our cause. I hope you will support them once more.
Onward,
Mark C. Hackett
Executive Director
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
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
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