A man watches smoke rise next to the army’s general command in Khartoum, Sudan, April 16, 2023.
Faiz Abubakr
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Faiz Abubakr
A man watches smoke rise next to the army’s general command in Khartoum, Sudan, April 16, 2023.
Faiz Abubakr
A year of war has torn Sudan apart, bringing devastation to a country that just a few years ago held immense promise. A revolution in 2021 toppled longtime autocrat Omar al-Bashir and opened the prospect of a better future for Sudan’s 45 million people. But a coup later that year, led by the army and backed by rapid support paramilitary forces, dashed those hopes. And now, a bitter battle for control of Sudan between the two sides, fueled by international powers, has caused a major collapse.
Sudan The country is now experiencing the world’s largest displacement crisis, according to humanitarian organizations. Fighting has forced more than 8 million people to flee their homes over the past year. The majority of the country is in need of humanitarian aid and there is a risk of famine. Security observers and humanitarian groups estimate that the conflict has killed at least 14,000 people, a figure that many experts say may be far lower than the true toll. Hunger, malnutrition and the collapse of most health services have led to catastrophic conditions.
One of the most serious consequences is fears of further genocide in the Darfur region of western Sudan, where African ethnic groups suffered a campaign of ethnic cleansing by Arab militias years ago. 20 years. The fighting never completely ended but diminished, until violence by the RSF and allied militias skyrocketed in the region. — a year ago this week. Since last year, nearly 600,000 people have fled Darfur to neighboring Chad.
Faiz Abubakr is a Sudanese photographer based in Khartoum who has documented how the war has upended life in his country.
“Where are my parents?” Musa remembers screaming after a military device he was playing with exploded. “Where are my parents?” his loud cry broke the silence of the quiet suburb of Halfaya, north of the Sudanese capital, Khartoum. It recounts the event that occurred in an internally displaced persons camp in Gezira State on December 10, 2023.
Faiz Abubakr
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Faiz Abubakr
“Where are my parents?” Musa remembers screaming after a military device he was playing with exploded. “Where are my parents?” his loud cry broke the silence of the quiet suburb of Halfaya, north of the Sudanese capital, Khartoum. It recounts the event that occurred in an internally displaced persons camp in Gezira State on December 10, 2023.
Faiz Abubakr
A room with bullet holes through the window in Khartoum, Sudan, April 18, 2023.
Faiz Abubakr
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Faiz Abubakr
A room with bullet holes through the window in Khartoum, Sudan, April 18, 2023.
Faiz Abubakr
Bullets stray into a house in Khartoum, April 18, 2023.
Faiz Abubakr
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Faiz Abubakr
Bullets stray into a house in Khartoum, April 18, 2023.
Faiz Abubakr
Destruction of a house in Khartoum on November 11, 2023.
Faiz Abubakr
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Destruction of a house in Khartoum on November 11, 2023.
Faiz Abubakr
A woman and her autistic son look out over Port Sudan, in the Red Sea state. She said she wanted to explain to him that the war was lost.
Faiz Abubakr
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A woman and her autistic son look out over Port Sudan, in the Red Sea state. She said she wanted to explain to him that the war was lost.
Faiz Abubakr
Army pilots struck the Rapid Support Force in Khartoum on April 16, 2023.
Faiz Abubakr
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Faiz Abubakr
Army pilots struck the Rapid Support Force in Khartoum on April 16, 2023.
Faiz Abubakr
Muhammad inspects his house after it was hit by a missile.
Faiz Abubakr
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Muhammad inspects his house after it was hit by a missile.
Faiz Abubakr
Sarah Dink carries her child as she visits a camp in Gezira state on December 10, 2023. She says: “I worry about the future of my children. I am thinking of returning to Abyei to be able to provide education for my children. “.
Faiz Abubakr
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Sarah Dink carries her child as she visits a camp in Gezira state on December 10, 2023. She says: “I worry about the future of my children. I am thinking of returning to Abyei to be able to provide education for my children. “.
Faiz Abubakr
A camp for displaced Sudanese in the town of Wad Madani, December 10, 2023.
Faiz Abubakr
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A camp for displaced Sudanese in the town of Wad Madani, December 10, 2023.
Faiz Abubakr
Displaced Sudanese sit in a classroom on December 12, 2023.
Faiz Abubakr
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Displaced Sudanese sit in a classroom on December 12, 2023.
Faiz Abubakr
Mary Monga was forced to flee her home in Khartoum with her children. She posed for a portrait on December 10, 2023. She said: “My baby is only a month old, but he looks younger because of his weight. When I think about the future, I want my child to have an education.”
Faiz Abubakr
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Faiz Abubakr
Mary Monga was forced to flee her home in Khartoum with her children. She posed for a portrait on December 10, 2023. She said: “My baby is only a month old, but he looks younger because of his weight. When I think about the future, I want my child to have an education.”
Faiz Abubakr
A child is treated for malnutrition at Rifa’a hospital in Gezira state, Sudan, October 9, 2023.
Faiz Abubakr
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A child is treated for malnutrition at Rifa’a hospital in Gezira state, Sudan, October 9, 2023.
Faiz Abubakr
Maryam holds the 7-month-old child she gave birth to in a refugee camp in Gezira, Sudan, on December 10, 2023. She says: “I traveled from Mayo, south of Khartoum, to the town of Wad Madani. I spent three days on a karoo (a wooden cart pulled by a donkey), I was with my six children and I was five months pregnant at the time.”
Faiz Abubakr
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Faiz Abubakr
Maryam holds the 7-month-old child she gave birth to in a refugee camp in Gezira, Sudan, on December 10, 2023. She says: “I traveled from Mayo, south of Khartoum, to the town of Wad Madani. I spent three days on a karoo (a wooden cart pulled by a donkey), I was with my six children and I was five months pregnant at the time.”
Faiz Abubakr
Editor’s note: The photographer did not provide the full names of the people photographed in Sudan.
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