News & Updates

Check out the latest from Sudan and our movement

Mark Hackett 6/2/25 Mark Hackett 6/2/25

When classrooms crumble, so does opportunity for refugees

As Sudan enters a third year of war, the path forward feels more uncertain than ever, and increasingly grim.

As war rages in Sudan, across the border in Yida Refugee Camp something extraordinary is still happening: children are going to school.

•••••

In 2014, we began funding four Nuba teachers in Yida Refugee Camp —just south of the Nuba Mountains— who were teaching under a tree. All they had was a half broken chalkboard. Over the years and with our help they have grown their efforts into the Endure Primary and Renewal Secondary Schools, where 22 local teachers serve more than 700 students every week.

But across Sudan, children are in crisis. Most schools have closed from the war, and it’s estimated over 19 million children are out of a classroom. Many may never return. Refugee camps like Yida are some of the only places where Sudanese children can safely access education right now.

Even after escaping unimaginable violence or having been born in Yida, these students show up each day eager to learn. Their teachers —refugees themselves— are passionate, dedicated, and resilient. Together, they’re making progress despite difficult circumstances. But classrooms are under significant strain, and two urgent needs are putting learning at risk:

🛠️ Classrooms need critical repairs. Cracked walls and leaky roofs make it hard to focus and are not safe. Repairs have already begun, but we need to raise $2,400 to complete repairs so students have a safe space to learn.

👨🏾‍🏫 Most chalkboards are in their final days. Worn down from years of use, some are becoming unusable. Teachers are doing their best but it is time to replace them. Another $1,700 will provide brand-new chalkboards across the classrooms.

These may seem like simple things and don’t cost much money. But to a teacher trying to reach dozens of students in a packed classroom, or to a child eager to learn, they make all the difference. Your generosity today helps build stronger classrooms —and brighter futures— for Sudanese children who have already overcome so much.

We are currently 40% of the way to reaching our $4,100 goal! Make a donation or set up a small monthly gift to support these teachers and students:

$1,200 - Fund half of all needed repairs at the schools.

$850 - Deliver 6 new chalkboards to our classrooms.

$500 - Help purchase and deliver weatherproofing materials that can’t be sourced locally.

$140 - Give a chalkboard to a classroom.

$50 - Help purchase roofing materials locally.

Checks can be made payable to Operation Broken Silence with Schools written in the memo line and mailed to PO Box 770900 Memphis, TN 38177-0900. You can also donate stock or crypto.

Can’t give? Sign up for Miles For Sudan, our global event to aid Sudanese heroes!

Join Miles For Sudan

Operation Broken Silence a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Donations are tax-deductible within the guidelines of U.S. law. Our EIN is 80-0671198.

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As war rages in Sudan, across the border in Yida Refugee Camp something extraordinary is still happening: children are going to school. https://operationbrokensilence.org/blog/when-classrooms-crumble-so-does-opportunity-for-refugees
Cracked walls and leaky roofs make it hard to focus and are not safe. Repairs have already begun, but we need to raise $2,400 to complete repairs so students have a safe space to learn. https://operationbrokensilence.org/blog/when-classrooms-crumble-so-does-opportunity-for-refugees
Worn down from years of use, some chalkboards will soon be unusable. We need to raise $1,700 to provide brand-new chalkboards across our classrooms: https://operationbrokensilence.org/blog/when-classrooms-crumble-so-does-opportunity-for-refugees
Operation Broken Silence is dedicated to Sudanese communities, cultivating resilience and driving meaningful change through crowdfunded programs. Will you join us? https://operationbrokensilence.org/blog/when-classrooms-crumble-so-does-opportunity-for-refugees

Mark Hackett 6/1/25 Mark Hackett 6/1/25

U.S. State Department says chemical weapons used in Sudan

The grim announcement came with no details about which chemical agents were used, or where and at what scale.

*Left: Chlorine gas cylinders (Canva Pro). Right: A recent explosion at Port Sudan airport (social media).*

The grim announcement came with no details about which chemical agents were used —or where and at what scale— except that such weapons were deployed in 2024.

•••••

On May 22, the U.S. State Department announced a determination that the Sudanese army has used chemical weapons in the current war. The announcement came with no details about which chemical agents were used by the army —or where and at what scale— except that such weapons were deployed in 2024.

While no solid evidence of chemical weapons usage in Sudan has been made public so far, in January the New York Times reported that chlorine gas had been used on at least two occasions in remote areas. Weaponized chlorine gas reacts with water in the lungs to form hydrochloric acid, which is destructive to living tissue and can be lethal. It was first used in World War I and has been confirmed used as recently as the Syrian Civil War.

**Sudan Crisis Guide**

**Trying to make sense of the war in Sudan? We’ll get you up to speed in just a few minutes.**

Learn More

It’s unclear if the State Department determination is about these incidents or something else entirely, or both.

This is not the first time that allegations of chemical weapons usage in Sudan have arisen. The United States bombed an industrial plant in Khartoum in 1998 that it claimed was used for processing a VX nerve agent, and that the owners of the plant had ties to al-Qaeda. Those claims came under serious question in the aftermath. A substantial investigation by Amnesty International in 2016 found credible evidence that chemical weapons had been used to kill and maim hundreds of civilians, including children, in Darfur.

Anecdotal accounts of chemical weapons attacks have leaked out of Darfur, the Nuba Mountains, and Blue Nile –three of the most oppressed regions of Sudan– for years, often with refugees who saw strange munitions explode.

According to the State Department’s recent determination:

”Following a 15-day Congressional notification period, the United States will impose sanctions on Sudan, including restrictions on U.S. exports to Sudan and on access to U.S. government lines of credit. The sanctions will take effect upon publication of a notice in the Federal Register, expected on or around June 6, 2025. The United States calls on the Government of Sudan to cease all chemical weapons use and uphold its obligations under the CWC. The United States remains fully committed to hold to account those responsible for contributing to chemical weapons proliferation.”

These sanctions will likely be largely symbolic, as there is very limited trade between the United States and Sudan. Both countries have signed The Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), an international treaty that prohibits the development, production, stockpiling, transfer, and use of chemical weapons.

What does all this mean for Sudan’s present situation? The widespread and heavy use of conventional munitions in areas of combat shows the war will continue with or without chemical weapons and continue to be immensely destructive. Still, the use of chemical weapons is just the latest reminder that, even with how bad the situation in Sudan already is, things can still get much worse. Reductions of violence and more humanitarian aid in any and all forms can save many lives, even if the war itself continues.

Ready to make your miles count toward aiding Sudanese heroes? Now is the perfect time to sign up for free and get moving! All you have to do is share a link to your fundraising page every time you run, walk, or bike.

Join Miles For Sudan

Can’t participate? Make a donation or set up a small monthly gift to our Sudanese partners:

$1,000 - Fully funds one classroom at Endure Primary School in Yida Refugee Camp for three months.

$500 - Delivers food to Darfuri genocide survivors who have fled to South Sudan.

$250 - Provides a daily breakfast to 10 children for an entire month in Adré refugee camp, where many Darfuri genocide survivors now live.

$100 - Supports a sexual assault counselor who has fled the Greater El Fasher area in North Darfur.

$50 - Helps bring school supplies to students in Yida Refugee Camp.

Checks can be made payable to Operation Broken Silence and mailed to PO Box 770900 Memphis, TN 38177-0900. You can also donate stock or crypto.

Operation Broken Silence a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Donations are tax-deductible within the guidelines of U.S. law. Our EIN is 80-0671198.

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The U.S. State Department says chemical weapons have been used in Sudan’s brutal war, which is now in its third year. https://operationbrokensilence.org/blog/us-state-department-says-chemical-weapons-used-in-sudan
The grim announcement came with no details about which chemical agents were used —or where and at what scale— except that such weapons were deployed in 2024. https://operationbrokensilence.org/blog/us-state-department-says-chemical-weapons-used-in-sudan
While no solid evidence of chemical weapons usage in Sudan has been made public so far, in January the New York Times reported that chlorine gas had been used on at least two occasions in remote areas. It’s unclear if the State Department determination is about these incidents or something else entirely, or both. https://operationbrokensilence.org/blog/us-state-department-says-chemical-weapons-used-in-sudan
The widespread use of conventional munitions shows the war will continue to be immensely destructive. But the use of chemical weapons is another reminder that, even with how bad the situation in Sudan already is, things can still get much worse. https://operationbrokensilence.org/blog/us-state-department-says-chemical-weapons-used-in-sudan
Operation Broken Silence is dedicated to Sudanese communities, cultivating resilience and driving meaningful change through crowdfunded programs. Will you join us? https://operationbrokensilence.org/blog/us-state-department-says-chemical-weapons-used-in-sudan

Mark Hackett 5/28/25 Mark Hackett 5/28/25

Movement Spotlight: Mick Nguyen

Meet one of our special supporters, who has raised nearly $3,000 for Sudanese heroes through Miles For Sudan.

Operation Broken Silence is a small nonprofit dedicated to Sudanese communities, cultivating resilience and driving meaningful change through crowdfunded programs. Everything we do, from supporting Sudanese teachers in underfunded classrooms or frontline healthcare in refugee camps, is made possible by people who give monthly, fundraise, and donate to Sudanese heroes. Today, we’d like to introduce you to one of these special supporters.

Meet Mick Nguyen

When Mick moved from Orange County to Sacramento for a mission with the Air National Guard, he quickly found himself immersed in a city known for its nonprofit energy and civic engagement. “It’s fun living in Midtown,” he says. “The headquarters of so many nonprofits are here on the grid and the Capital is within walking distance. It’s a great place if you’re into volunteering and being politically active.”

It didn’t take long for Mick’s interest in global issues to grow into direct action. While completing his capstone project, he turned to Google with a simple but profound question: What is the biggest humanitarian crisis in the world today? The answer led him to Sudan—and ultimately to us.

“Being in the intelligence field, I deal a lot in geopolitics,” Mick explains. “So I took to researching Sudan easily. OBS’s explainer content was a valuable source I cited for my StoryMap. By the end of the semester, I felt the need to take real action on the issue instead of just retaining all this knowledge.”

That desire to act sparked his involvement in Miles for Sudan, our global event for runners, walkers, and cyclists raising awareness and funds for the Sudanese people. For Mick, it was a natural extension of something he already loved.

“Running in the form of 5Ks and run clubs is already associated with fundraisers and the like,” he says. “This felt like a natural outlet to raise awareness on a social issue. Whether via my Strava posts or word of mouth, I have been the first introduction for most people to this crisis.”

When donors give to his campaign, Mick thanks them in a way that perfectly reflects his personality—by sending them a Tiny Desk Concert where Kehlani shouts, “Free Sudan!” It’s unexpected, heartfelt, and a great conversation starter.

His journey with Miles for Sudan has already led to major personal milestones. “I wouldn’t have completed my first ever 10K Spartan Race had it not been for Miles For Sudan,” he says. “Running for health is one thing, but running in service of a meaningful cause has been the ultimate motivator. Half-marathons and marathons are on the horizon!” And Mick has now raised nearly $3,000 for our Sudanese partners through his fundraising page!

His encouragement for anyone thinking about jumping in? He keeps it simple: “What Nike says.” Mick’s story is a reminder that when we combine what we love with what matters, real change becomes possible. Whether you're running, fundraising, or simply sharing Sudan’s story, our friends in Sudan need whatever help you can provide.

Get Involved

Ready to make your miles count toward aid to Sudan? This summer is the perfect time to sign up for free and get moving! All you have to do is share a link to your fundraising page every time you run, walk, or bike.

Join Miles For Sudan

Can’t participate? Make a donation or set up a small monthly gift instead:

$1,000 - Fully funds one classroom at Endure Primary School in Yida Refugee Camp for half a semester.

$500 - Delivers food to Darfuri genocide survivors who have fled to South Sudan.

$250 - Provides a daily breakfast to 10 children for an entire month in Adré refugee camp, where many Darfuri genocide survivors now live.

$100 - Supports the monthly work of a sexual assault counselor and food relief in the El Fasher/Zamzam area in North Darfur, Sudan.

$50 - Helps bring school supplies to students in Yida Refugee Camp.

Checks can be made payable to Operation Broken Silence and mailed to PO Box 770900 Memphis, TN 38177-0900. You can also donate stock or crypto.

Operation Broken Silence a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Donations are tax-deductible within the guidelines of U.S. law. Our EIN is 80-0671198.

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Everything we do —whether it’s supporting frontline healthcare in refugee camps or Sudanese supporting teachers in underfunded classrooms— is made possible by people who choose to stand with the Sudanese. https://operationbrokensilence.org/blog/movement-spotlight-mick-nguyen
“I took to researching Sudan easily. OBS’s explainer content was a valuable source I cited for my StoryMap. By the end of the semester, I felt the need to take real action on the issue instead of just retaining all this knowledge.” https://operationbrokensilence.org/blog/movement-spotlight-mick-nguyen
Meet OBS supporter Mick Nguyen, who has raised nearly $3,000 for Sudanese heroes through our global event Miles For Sudan. https://operationbrokensilence.org/blog/movement-spotlight-mick-nguyen
Operation Broken Silence is dedicated to Sudanese communities, cultivating resilience and driving meaningful change through crowdfunded programs. Will you join us? https://operationbrokensilence.org/blog/movement-spotlight-mick-nguyen

Mark Hackett 5/16/25 Mark Hackett 5/16/25

Letter to Congress urging a restart of the Sudan Caucus

Operation Broken Silence is joining 75 organizations and experts in urging key Senators and Representatives to restart the Congressional Sudan Caucus.

Operation Broken Silence is joining 75 organizations and experts in urging key Senators and Representatives to restart the Congressional Sudan Caucus.

Read The Letter

What does this mean?

A caucus is a group of lawmakers from both parties who come together around a shared concern or cause. Unlike a formal committee, a caucus doesn’t write legislation; but, it can build momentum for legislation and push for coordinated action where it’s most needed.

Today, Sudan is home to the world’s largest human rights and humanitarian catastrophe, brought on by two years of extreme warfare between the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Khartoum’s neighborhoods already lie in ruins and, in Darfur, entire communities have been annihilated by the RSF. Villages are burning and families are fleeing with nothing but the clothes on their backs. Famine is rampant and access to healthcare is evaporating.

In the past, the Sudan Caucus played a key role in helping the United States engage effectively in Sudan. In addition to ensuring appropriations for lifesaving humanitarian assistance, the Caucus was instrumental in ending Sudan’s 22-year civil war, which took the lives of over 2 million people, and urged President Bush to appoint a Special Envoy to help secure the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement.

Additionally, the Sudan Caucus consistently and urgently sounded the alarm for the people of Darfur as genocide swept through the region and additional violence into the Nuba Mountains and Blue Nile. The Caucus supported the imposition of sanctions and other penalties, including arrest warrants by the International Criminal Court, against the Bashir regime and its proxy, the Janjaweed, rebranded today as the Rapid Support Forces.

It’s not an overstatement to say that U.S. engagement has been most effective when the Sudan Caucus is active. A renewed Caucus can once again influence American support in the region to help save lives, halt the sale of weapons, and increase the opportunity for peace and development. Since this letter was delivered in early April, Congressional offices have already begun to step up:

Get Involved

Operation Broken Silence is dedicated to Sudanese communities, cultivating resilience and driving meaningful change through crowdfunded programs. Our Sudanese partners are overwhelmed with needs as war and hunger spread. By joining our global campaign Miles For Sudan or giving below, you will help them serve the most vulnerable in this time of tremendous need.

Join Miles For Sudan

Can’t participate? Make a donation or set up a small monthly gift instead:

$1,000 - Fully funds one classroom at Endure Primary School in Yida Refugee Camp for half a semester.

$500 - Delivers food to Darfuri genocide survivors who have fled to South Sudan.

$250 - Provides a daily breakfast to 10 children for an entire month in Adré refugee camp, where many Darfuri genocide survivors now live.

$100 - Supports a sexual assault counselor in the Greater El Fasher area of North Darfur.

$50 - Helps bring school supplies to students in Yida Refugee Camp.

Checks can be made payable to Operation Broken Silence and mailed to PO Box 770900 Memphis, TN 38177-0900. You can also donate stock or crypto.

Operation Broken Silence a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Donations are tax-deductible within the guidelines of U.S. law. Our EIN is 80-0671198.

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Operation Broken Silence is joining 75 organizations and experts in urging key Senators and Representatives to restart the Congressional Sudan Caucus. https://operationbrokensilence.org/blog/letter-to-congress-urging-a-restart-of-the-sudan-caucus
Today, Sudan is home to the world’s largest human rights and humanitarian catastrophe, brought on by two years of extreme warfare between the Sudan Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces. https://operationbrokensilence.org/blog/letter-to-congress-urging-a-restart-of-the-sudan-caucus
A renewed Sudan Caucus can once again influence and American support in the region to help save lives, halt the sale of weapons, and increase the opportunity for peace and development. https://operationbrokensilence.org/blog/letter-to-congress-urging-a-restart-of-the-sudan-caucus

Mark Hackett 4/25/25 Mark Hackett 4/25/25

Adré Children’s Feeding Program and Clinic Update - April 2025

What does hope look like in a refugee camp? It looks like a child receiving her only hot meal of the day. A mother being treated for malaria. A community standing together. Help us keep that hope alive.

Program Background

When war erupted in Sudan in April 2023, Darfur quickly became the epicenter of some of the worst atrocities in modern history. What began as a battle for power between Sudan’s military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) spiraled into a brutal, targeted campaign of violence. The largely Arab RSF launched a hate-fueled assault against Darfur’s historic ethnic African communities, including the Zaghawa, Fur, and Masalit.

Between April and June 2023 alone, up to 15,000 Masalit civilians were systematically massacred by the RSF in West Darfur. By early November 2023, the RSF had overrun most of Darfur, seizing nearly every major city and cornering army units in the Greater El Fasher area. What’s followed is a nightmare.

Parts of Darfur are now in famine. Refugees arriving in Chad speak of mass killings, starvation deaths, and unimaginable loss and suffering. Many arrive in Adré with empty stomachs and thousand-yard stares. Under RSF occupation, Darfur has become a place of ongoing ethnic cleansing, widespread rape, and total lawlessness. Markets, farms, banks, and aid warehouses have been looted or destroyed. Many survivors have fled across the border into Adré, eastern Chad.

In response, Operation Broken Silence is helping provide emergency food and medical care to some of the most at-risk displaced and refugee communities. We’re supporting trusted local leaders in two key areas:

The Adré Refugee Camps in eastern Chad
The Greater El Fasher Area in North Darfur

We have some important updates below concerning the past few weeks at the Children’s Feeding Center and Healthcare Clinic we are helping to support in Adré. Both of these institutions are entirely privately funded and led by refugee leaders themselves.

For You Children’s Feeding Center

After a short pause during Ramadan, the Child Feeding Center has resumed operations, serving more than 2,300 nutritious meals to children and vulnerable patients over the past two weeks. The impact was immediate—children returned eagerly, some smiling for the first time in days. For many, these meals are their only reliable source of nourishment.

Photos: Life at the Children’s Feeding Center in Adré

For You Healthcare Clinic

Against the backdrop of displacement, hunger, and disease, the For You Clinic in Adré continues to be a lifeline. Each week, their dedicated medical and administrative teams work with incredible discipline and compassion to deliver lifesaving care to Sudanese refugees—despite limited resources and overwhelming demand. Here’s a snapshot of life in the clinic over the past two weeks:

General Medical Care
More than 1,340 patients received treatment. Respiratory infections—driven by dust storms and overcrowded conditions—remain the most common illness, followed by gastrointestinal infections, malaria, and urinary tract issues. These health trends reflect worsening camp conditions and the growing urgency for clean water, proper sanitation, and nutrition support.

Chronic Disease Support
The clinic served over 215 patients with chronic illnesses like diabetes and hypertension. These patients received essential medications, monitoring, and ongoing support to help manage their conditions—an often-overlooked need in emergency settings.

Women’s Health Services
The Obstetrics and Gynecology unit provided personalized care to 40 women. Services ranged from prenatal consultations to treatment for infections, filling a critical gap in a population where women’s health is especially vulnerable.

Emergency and Minor Procedures
The Emergency Department handled 60 urgent cases, including severe malaria and low blood pressure. Meanwhile, the nursing team treated 166 patients, delivering wound care, administering medicines, and performing minor procedures—all with a deep sense of urgency and care.

Health Education & Awareness
The Awareness and Counseling Department continues to be a crucial pillar of the clinic. Volunteer staff held hundreds of individual and group sessions, focusing on:

Maternal health and nutrition during pregnancy
Childhood vaccinations and disease prevention
Managing chronic conditions
Personal hygiene and infection prevention
Giardiasis awareness and prevention

Giardiasis—a gastrointestinal illness caused by contaminated water—is on the rise in the camps. In response, the team launched a new awareness campaign to educate families on how to protect themselves and their children.

Photos: Life at the Clinic in Adré

Current conditions in the Adré camps

What began as a desperate escape from West Darfur is now a protracted humanitarian emergency. Sudanese refugees fleeing war, ethnic cleansing, and famine in Darfur face new threats like hunger, disease, and instability in eastern Chad. Women and children especially are still arriving at over 30 informal border crossings, many having walked for days carrying only what they could, including mothers and children weakened by hunger and trauma. The scale of the crisis is staggering:

The number of Sudanese refugees in eastern Chad has surged to nearly 780,000 people.
Over 230,000 refugees are currently settled in the Adré area, more than five times the town’s original population.
87% of those registered are women and children.
13% have specific needs, including people with disabilities, chronic illness, or those who are unaccompanied.
The Chadian government and United Nations estimate that by the end of 2025, the total number of refugees and returnees across Chad could approach one million people.

Local infrastructure was never designed to support this size population with this many unique needs. Resources are stretched thin and access to safe drinking water is limited. While some refugees have been relocated to more organized settlements, many remain in overcrowded and under-resourced sites. Beyond immediate requirements for food, water, and medical care, there is an urgent need for shelter, as many refugees live in makeshift structures vulnerable to the elements and more are still arriving

With regard to safety, while it is much more secure here than RSF-controlled areas of Darfur, many of the refugees feel vulnerable. Adré sits just a few miles inside Chad’s porous border with Sudan and, while the Chadian government has troops monitoring parts of the border, RSF fighters can still easily slip into the country. Small numbers of RSF fighters have been spotted in eastern Chad, and some refugees have even received death threats from the paramilitaries.

These heroes need your help

The needs in Adré are urgent and growing by the day. Right now, it takes a minimum of $8,500 each month to keep the For You Child Feeding Center & Clinic running at current capacity. This covers everything from medical supplies and staff support to hot meals for vulnerable children to medication for patients that couldn’t afford it otherwise.

With more support, these programs can expand to reach even more people in need. Thousands are still waiting for care. Countless children go to bed hungry every night. You can help change that. In a place where hope is in short supply, your generosity means more to these people than you can imagine.

$8,500: fully fund the Feeding Center and Clinic for an entire month
$4,000: support the children's feeding program for one month
$1,000: provide one week of all basic medicines needed at the clinic
$500: feed 500 hungry children for one week
$250: help expand the children's feed program
$100: deliver nutritional supplements that help fight malnutrition
$50: deliver anti-malarial, typhus and other speciality medications

Join Miles For Sudan | Donate Stock or Crypto

Make checks payable to Operation Broken Silence with Adré in the memo line and mail to PO Box 770900 Memphis, TN 38177-0900.

Operation Broken Silence a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Donations are tax-deductible within the guidelines of U.S. law. Our EIN is 80-0671198.

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When war erupted in Sudan in April 2023, Darfur quickly became the epicenter of some of the worst atrocities in modern history. Refugees arriving in Chad speak in hushed voices of mass killings, starvation deaths, and unimaginable loss and suffering. https://operationbrokensilence.org/blog/adre-childrens-feeding-program-and-clinic-update-april-2025
Over 230,000 Sudanese refugees have fled into Adré, eastern Chad. Most are women and children. A small clinic and feeding center are saving lives—but they need your help to keep going. https://operationbrokensilence.org/blog/adre-childrens-feeding-program-and-clinic-update-april-2025
From wound care and emergency treatment to 1,100+ meals served in a single week—our partners on the ground in Adré are doing incredible work. But the need is growing. Help us keep the clinic and feeding center open. https://operationbrokensilence.org/blog/adre-childrens-feeding-program-and-clinic-update-april-2025
What does hope look like in a refugee camp? It looks like a child receiving her only hot meal of the day. A mother being treated for malaria. A community standing together. Help us keep that hope alive. https://operationbrokensilence.org/blog/adre-childrens-feeding-program-and-clinic-update-april-2025

Mark Hackett 4/15/25 Mark Hackett 4/15/25

Fire & Ashes: Marking two years of war in Sudan

As Sudan enters a third year of war, the path forward feels more uncertain than ever, and increasingly grim.

The brutal invasion of a displacement camp in North Darfur encapsulates what two years of extreme warfare, mass killings, and hunger have done to Sudan.

•••••

On April 13, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) stormed Zamzam displacement camp in North Darfur, a place that should be safe and secure, but instead has been under violent siege for over a year. The camp lies several miles to the south of El Fasher —capital of North Darfur— which is being defended by the army’s 6th Infantry Division and pro-army militias from a brutal onslaught by the RSF.

What is unfolding in Zamzam at the time of this posting can only be described as a living nightmare. Early reports suggest hundreds of people have already been killed —including pregnant mothers and children— as well as nine local humanitarian workers who appear to have been executed by the RSF. Tens of thousands of people are fleeing into nearby rural areas, and it appears the RSF is choking off the main road to El Fasher.

Zamzam was already one of the largest camps for displaced Sudanese. Most all of the adults and older teens living here have already survived at least one war or massacre. Some younger children born in Zamzam have never been able to leave. All have nowhere else to flee. This attack is an ongoing, deliberate assault on vulnerable minority civilians who have already lost nearly everything, and it bears the dark hallmarks of the El Geneina Massacre that the RSF committed in the early days of this war. We will provide a more extensive update soon.

Today marks two years since the army and RSF went to war for control of a country that wants neither in charge. The crimes being committed in Zamzam are a brutal snapshot of what this senseless crisis is doing to Sudan.

No one knows the true death toll, but a conservative estimate based on very limited data suggests well over 200,000 civilians have already perished from violence and famine. It is estimated that 8.7 million Sudanese have descended into near-famine or famine conditions, and 15 million people have been forced to flee their homes or have left Sudan as refugees. Countless communities have been burned to the ground and some pockets of the country can no longer sustain human life.

And yet, this war continues with almost no international spotlight. There is no bold peace process. There is far less humanitarian relief to go around than there was one year ago. Most of the world remains silent while the Sudanese people endure what has become the largest and most dangerous humanitarian emergency on the planet.

A fractured state with no military solution

As Sudan enters a third year of war, the path forward feels more uncertain than ever, and increasingly grim. The army’s grinding offensive through central —including the recent capture of Khartoum— will likely reach the eastern edge of the Darfur provinces in the coming weeks. It is somewhere here that their advance will probably hit a brick wall, as the RSF is deeply entrenched in Darfur and capable of projecting much more military force across all five provinces, as is being seen now in Zamzam.

Where that will leave Sudan is unknown; but, one once unthinkable possibility now looms large. With no peace deal in sight and both sides obsessed with finding a military solution, a more permanently divided Sudan is becoming increasingly likely.

Abroad, the army and RSF are desperate to be seen as Sudan’s legitimate rulers; but, inside the country’s borders, both are entrenching their own “governments.” The army by seizing control of largely shattered governing civilian institutions; the RSF by trying to create a separate parallel governing system from scratch. Both sides are vying to stand up their own police forces and minimally trying —and failing—to offer a few basic services, mostly to their favored ethnic groups.

Map: A rough visualization of areas of control. “l.r.” stands for local resistance, with both of those armed groups having spent much of this war defending their territory and ethnic minority populations against the army and RSF. Click or tap to expand. (*source*)

Partition, then, is no longer hypothetical. There need not be an independence declaration, sham referendum, or international recognition of a new state coming out of Sudan for the country to become effectively divided in a longer-term fashion. The lack of a decisive military victory by either side will leave at least three political/military sub-states inside Sudan’s borders —including the already largely autonomous southern Nuba Mountains— if not more. Much deeper, systemic problems beneath the surface of the atrocities will be enough to enforce such a devastating status quo.

For the army, the generals lust for power at all costs is leading them to recruiting tribal militias and extreme Islamist groups, either directly into their ranks or by arming such factions and having them operate parallel to the army. These alliances are extremely dangerous for a myriad of reasons. Many of these groups believe they have scores to settle with other Sudanese or wish to see Sudan return to something like the dark days of the now defunct Bashir regime. They also risk turning Sudan’s war into a broader regional conflict, one that could reignite long-simmering tensions along the country’s borders and further drag in outside powers.

Meanwhile, it must be recognized that the RSF’s cancerous roots stretch far beyond Sudan’s borders. The paramilitaries have connections to shadowy armed networks across the Sahel, with ethnic and logistical ties as nearby as Chad, the Central African Republic, and Libya to as far away as Niger and Mali. In the past the RSF has also welcomed support from Russia and the United Arab Emirates, and is likely still receiving considerable assistance from the latter. These relationships are multifaceted —sometimes even nonsensical— but ultimately serve as recruitment pipelines and supply routes, allowing the RSF to move foreign fighters, weapons, and fuel into Darfur with little effort. The dangers that flow back in the other direction can be a mystery, but they certainly include unaccountable fighters with hefty combat experience and weapons flowing back into their home countries.

Needless to say, the disastrous consequences of such an effective partition won’t stop at Sudan’s borders, but it will still be the Sudanese people who suffer the most. In this future, the RSF would be free to complete its multiple genocides of various Darfuri African tribes. The hundreds of thousands of African Darfuris who were forced to flee Sudan would never be able to return to their homelands. And the army and their newer allies would carry out killings in areas under their control.

This dark future is not set in stone though, even if it seems more likely on this grim anniversary. Nonviolent civilian resistance has shown remarkable resilience against the evils of the army and RSF, as well as brought some relief to the deplorable living conditions both sides are inflicting on the Sudanese people. Every day, brave Sudanese open small institutions in the form of soup kitchens and underground clinics, help deliver humanitarian aid to the vulnerable, and chronicle the atrocities being committed against them. Countless of these heroes have been killed, but it is their struggle that is keeping hope for a better future alive.

And what can friends of Sudan do?

Two years of war have pushed Sudan to the brink. But war alone didn’t get us here: inaction did. Indifference did. The silence of the international community did. None of this can be undone. The lives lost in the massacres at El Geneina, Zamzam, northern and eastern Gezira, and countless other places cannot be brought back. And while the Sudanese people continue to carry this unimaginable weight, it should not be theirs to carry alone.

We can choose to stand beside the Sudanese people in real, tangible ways. But these ways must be direct. Expressions of solidarity on social media may feel righteous, but posting online doesn’t help a mother and her children who lost everything find a way to thrive. Taking an awareness-raising or advocacy-only approach at a time when the global system is under extreme stress will yield too few good fruits, if any at all. Even now, as it feels as if more people are paying attention to the ideas of dignity, justice, and peace that have long animated the Sudanese people, the danger is that we mistake having awareness for direct action.

Our friends in Sudan can’t afford that mistake. Not when every day brings more hunger, more displacement, and more death. Sudan’s future still belongs to the Sudanese people. Our job is to do what we can to help them alleviate real suffering and begin to reverse the injustices, now. And that starts, frankly, with money. Program by program and day by day, lives can still be saved and made better through the heroic, small, and local institutions ordinary Sudanese are fighting to build up.

The Sudanese can’t live in the apology owed to them, one they are not likely to get anyways. They have to live in their homes: safe, free from fear, and prosperous. Anything less will be another atrocity.

Operation Broken Silence is dedicated to Sudanese communities, cultivating resilience and driving meaningful change through crowdfunded programs. Our Sudanese partners are overwhelmed with needs as war and hunger spread. By joining Miles For Sudan or giving below, you will help them serve the most vulnerable in this time of tremendous need.