Following the removal of authoritarian leader Omar al-Bashir in 2019, the recent conflict between warring militaristic factions the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) over control of Sudan has caused the deaths of over 12 thousand individuals. Additionally, the conflict has displaced more than 9 million others and remains a humanitarian crisis that threatens one of the world’s most politically complex regions. 

Though the war is fought on a continent far removed from that of Washington University, the impact caused by the conflict is anything but. Many WashU students from Sudan struggle to balance both the situation in their homeland and life at school. Students interviewed by Student Life said they battle hopelessness, lack of inclusion in the student body, and frightening realities of their relatives fleeing.

As a first-year Sudanese student, Asmaa Hassan said that her education at WashU is starkly different from the education her nieces are receiving in Sudan. 

“It makes me realize how privileged I am, but also, at the same time, do I deserve what I have?” Hassan said. “I’m here at a top university. I’m getting an education. There are children like my little cousins who haven’t returned to school since April 2023.”

This sentiment of helplessness is shared by first-year Mahid Abdulkarim, who said that the war is between “two guys” wanting more power.

“One of my friends was shot and killed by the militia that is currently fighting the RSF army, for no reason,” Abdulkarim said. “This guy was a good guy who went to MIT. He was just there for Summer Break. And he was just shot and killed right there. The thing that bothered me about all this is the fact that there’s nothing anyone can do.”

Professor Housni Bennis, senior lecturer in the Jewish, Islamic, and Middle Eastern Studies (JIMES) department, elaborated on the internal factional schism between the SAF and RSF. Bennis explained how complex and nuanced the crisis is.

“The problem with the conflict today is that, besides the Sudan[ese] Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces, we also have tribal factions and militia groups,” Bennis said.

“And of course, the tribal factions and militia groups are remnants from the time of Bashir [former Sudanese dictator]…He created a conflict that is tearing apart Sudanese society.” 

Bennis went on to speak about the humanitarian impact of the conflict.

“Whenever we talk about humanitarian crises, we are talking about three things: health, safety, and well-being of the people,” he said. 

“This leads to lack of safety for civilians; nowhere is safe for Sudanese civilians now…here is the lack of safety. The hospitals and medical clinics are hit…and the people are running out of food, water, and especially medicine.”

Both Hassan and Abdulkarim mentioned the “WashU bubble” and said that they wish the University had a “better stance of just acknowledging and informing the student body” about the crisis in Sudan. 

“We don’t realize how many people suffer while we live in this utopia-like campus,” Hassan said. 

“I wish WashU did a [better] job of educating its students.” 

As a member of the Muslim Student Association (MSA), Hassan said the group is working to educate the student body about Sudan.  

“[MSA] has done a good job of reposting things and spreading awareness. We are a small but united community,” she said. 

Abdulkarim also said he was frustrated with the lack of media representation of the conflict in Sudan.

“The stupidest things that don’t matter will find its way to like every major social media platform, everyone’s TV, but then stuff like [Sudan] — Nothing, nothing at all.”

Despite the conflict, Abdulkarim said that Sudan still reminds him of home. 

“When I think of Sudan, I think about being in that place with my family around me…It’s just a place for me that is full of love and good memories,” he said. 

In the last moments of his interview, Bennis stressed the gravity of the humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in Sudan, along with necessary steps he believes necessary to alleviate the crisis.

“From a practical point of view, the international community has to be more involved…there should be close consultation of regional powers…and there should be a broad international coordination to try and condense the warring parties to at least sit down and start negotiating.”