Sudan
Sudan: The Country Broken Between Two Generals
Sudan was once the largest country in Africa, a crossroads between the Arab world and sub-Saharan Africa, a place where the White Nile and the Blue Nile converge. The war that erupted in April 2023 between General Al-Burhan (regular army) and General Hemeti (RSF) turned Khartoum into a battlefield and plunged Darfur into a new cycle of violence. With an IJVA score of 25/100, Sudan is one of the most battered countries on the continent.
The Collapse of a Country
Khartoum was a metropolis of five million inhabitants. Within weeks of fighting, the city became a no man's land. Bridges bombed, hospitals looted, residential neighbourhoods turned into front lines. The UN estimates that over 25 million Sudanese need humanitarian aid, more than half the population. Several areas are in declared famine.
The Ubuntu Strength: Resistance Committees and the Sufi Spirit
Even in hell, Sudan resists — not through arms, but through solidarity. The neighbourhood resistance committees, born during the 2018–2019 revolution, have transformed into survival networks. Sudan is a deeply Sufi country. The brotherhoods — Khatmiyya, Ansar, Tijaniyya — have structured Sudanese society. The jabana culture — Sudanese coffee offered to every passer-by — symbolises this visceral hospitality.
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Patience is the key to deliverance
— Proverb arabe soudanais
Sudan reminds us that the joy of living is not the absence of suffering — it is what survives suffering. A people who continue to prepare coffee for strangers, who sing their haqiba along the Nile. Generals pass, but the Nile remains.