War in Sudan: the faces and stories of resilience through the eyes of a Sudanese photographer

Sudan

LONDON, 11 February 2025 / PRN Africa / -- “How can a person leave his place so simply, and abandon the place in which he grew up and where the place has become a part of his personality?” - Faiz Abubakr, Sudanese photographer

MSF is sharing a selection of photographs taken by captured by award-winning Sudanese photographer Faiz Aboubakr.

Now residing in eastern Sudan, Aboubakr visited MSF projects in Al-Gedaref city—including emergency response such as the Cholera Treatment Centre—and the long-standing MSF project in Um Rakuba refugee camp, where we have been working since 2021 to respond to the needs of Tigrayan refugees.

One of the stories captured of a patient at one of our mobile clinics we ran for IDPs is that of Nisreen, who fled Khartoum with her children after being shot during the fighting:

“When the war broke out, I was shot. I fled to Sennar, then to Dinder and finally to Gedaref, where I’m staying in a school building. I don’t know which barrel the bullet came from. There are too many battles going on here. I just wanted my children to be well,” Nisreen shared with Faiz.

Since April 15, 2023, Sudan has been engulfed in a brutal civil war between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). This conflict has resulted in the deaths of thousands of people, and displacement of millions more, creating the world’s largest displacement crisis. The war has devastated communities, with intense urban fighting, shelling and airstrikes becoming a daily reality. Khartoum is one of the epicentres of the violence and the fighting has lasted for months, trapping people in the crossfire, or forcing them to flee. Despite these challenges, the resilience and strength of the Sudanese people shine through in Faiz Abubakr's work, reflecting the life continuing amidst chaos.

"We are looking for countries other than our own. There are countries that do not want us. Here my country is divided into homelands. This is me between nations.” Faiz Abubakr, Sudanese photographer

Faiz Abubakr, Sudanese photographer from Kassala, gained significant recognition for his compelling documentation of protests in Sudan back in 2021, capturing the spirit of the Sudanese people even in the darkest of times. His work, primarily focused on Sudanese social life, has been featured in prominent media outlets such as The New York Times, The Guardian, Agence France-Presse, and National Geographic. In 2022, his talent won him the World Press Award for the African region.

Faiz Abubakr’s camera witnesses and captures the tangible impact of the support people can give to each other, even in the most challenging circumstances.

When war broke out in April 2023, MSF either stopped or shifted many of its activities to respond to the emerging needs and new emergencies across the country. Since then, MSF teams have continued to provide assistance in now 11 of the 18 Sudanese states, including in locations such as Khartoum State, Darfur region and Al Gedaref State. They are providing both general and specialised healthcare for patients in existing healthcare facilities and in displacement sites , including in Al Gedaref city and Um Rakuba camp for Ethiopian refugees ? in eastern Sudan, where Faiz Abubakr undertook his reportage in November 2024.

SOURCE Medecins Sans Frontieres?MSF?