Together is the only way: Voices from Sudan’s forgotten war

It was a Saturday morning, the 15th of April 2023. A day that began like any other in Khartoum. My son along with his cousins went to university. Soon after, my phone rang. My son’s voice was shaking: “Mama, RSF is coming to the university parking lot. Students are running, they’re terrified. Should I go back and take the car?” In that instant, my heart froze. I told him, “No. Leave the car. Stay with your cousins. Just get to safety.” That was the moment the war began for me and for millions of Sudanese families. None of us expected it to last this long. Many thought it was just another coup. But it became something far darker, displacing millions and devastating a country already on its knees.

We had more than 200 volunteers spread across the country—many right where the fighting began. We had plans to scale up to 1,000 volunteers to support health services. In a matter of days, those plans collapsed. Suddenly, it wasn’t about growth. It was about survival.

Care that goes both ways

Internet, phones, and electricity disappeared. I remember typing messages in the dark, waiting desperately for a blue tick on WhatsApp—just to know someone was still alive. And yet, despite losing homes and families being displaced, volunteers kept showing up and serving. 

One of the UN Volunteers told me, “Even when everything feels like it’s falling apart, my work gives me purpose.” That kind of resilience is why we are here today.

In all this we received tremendous support and guidance from both our Regional Office and Headquarters. They listened to us when we were in tears, asked about the safety of our families, and continually reassured us that, above all, our safety truly mattered. 

In May 2024, more than a year into the war, I met the Executive Coordinator who asked me, “We know you took good care of the volunteers. But how are you coping with all this stress?” That simple question reminded me that care is not only something we give outward—it must also flow inward. 

Shelter, support and showing up

Neighbours sheltered international volunteers when the UN system failed. Families opened their doors. 

When the crisis hit, we had to quickly rethink how to truly support our volunteers. We took action to ease the stress they were facing: extending contracts for job security, offering daily allowances and relocation help, arranging emergency evacuations, enabling remote work and easy access to pay, and providing counselling and crisis hotlines for volunteers and their families.

Every challenge is an opportunity, even the war in Sudan. How should we advocate about UN Volunteers and build partnerships on the ground? A question I was faced with as Country Coordinator. 

Working together for solutions

At the start of the war, I worked to quickly connect UN teams with the volunteers they needed—without overlapping efforts. I looked at each team’s goals, who they wanted to support, and what resources were available. Based on this, I created tailored offers for each UN entity, as well as a general plan to meet broader community needs. Together with the Regional Office for Arab States, we shaped proposals for nine UN agencies, drawing on insights from country teams, project managers, and Resident Representatives. 

Informal conversations and networks were key in helping us respond to the needs of the UN system in Sudan—UNAIDS, UNDP, UNFPA, UNHCR, UNICEF, IOM, OCHA, WFP, and WHO. We designed volunteer roles for specialists, remote support, and emergency projects — with deployments across Khartoum and Gezira State.

As the African proverb says, “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” 

In Sudan, the road is long. And the only way forward is together—volunteers, agencies, and communities. As one displaced father told me: “We don’t need promises. We need people.”

Do we need perfection, or do we need presence?

Speaking from a crisis context, I tell you that we don’t need perfection. We just need presence. We need to listen, talk and collaborate so that UNV is present on the frontline with the partners. 

And that presence — that thread of humanity — is what keeps hope alive in the forgotten war of Sudan.

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