Witnessing Sudan
More than two years into Sudan’s brutal war, the country is facing one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world. Millions have been displaced, thousands killed, and El Fasher, a city in North Darfur, is under siege by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). A recent UN report highlighted the catastrophic conditions in El Fasher, where children are dying daily from malnutrition, disease, and violence. This panel examines the human toll of the war in Sudan, centering the voices of those most affected while offering critical historical, political, and journalistic perspectives on how the conflict has unfolded and what must be done to address it. Together, the panel will confront the devastating realities faced by ordinary Sudanese people and discuss the urgent need for humanitarian action, justice, and sustained international attention.
This session will be in Arabic, with simultaneous translation in English.
Speakers:
Swar Aldahab is a journalist whose work focuses on social programming that highlights the challenges faced by communities and nations under pressure. His programs amplify these stories, encouraging awareness, gratitude, and appreciation. In addition to his journalistic work, he is a sports commentator at beIN Sports in Doha, Qatar. During his tenure at beIN Sports, he has provided commentary for four FIFA World Cups: South Africa 2010, Brazil 2014, Russia 2018, and Qatar 2022.
Hamid E. Ali is a Professor of Economics and Public Policy at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies (DI) and served as the Dean of the School of Economics, Administration, and Public Policy from 2020 to 2023. He also held a research position at the US Government Accountability Office (GAO), where he substantially contributed to several reports for US congressional committees. As an author, he has edited noteworthy books including Natural Resources, Inequality, and Conflict (Palgrave Macmillan, 2021) co-authored with Lars-Erik Cederman; Institutional Reforms, Governance, and Service Delivery in the Global South (Palgrave Macmillan, 2021) co-authored with Shahjahan Bhuiyan; Darfur Political Economy: A Quest for Development (Routledge, 2014); and Defense Spending, Natural Resources, and Conflict (Routledge, 2017) co-authored with Christos Kollias. He has also authored and co-authored articles in respected scholarly journals such as Peace Research, Food Policy, Publius: The Journal of Federalism, Politics and Policy, and Defence and Peace Economics. His primary research interests are in governance, economic development, economic inequality, defense spending, natural resources, and conflict.
Moderator:
Muzamil Abuelgassim is a Sudanese journalist and political analyst. He is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Alyoum Altaly and Al-Sadaa newspapers, and the co-founder of the political podcast Balad Al-Khayr. He is also the founder and CEO of both Dar Al-Afaf Publishing Company and Zawat Afnan Printing Company. From 2015 to 2019, he served as a member of the National Council for Press and Publications in Sudan. He continues to appear as a political analyst on major news networks, including Al Jazeera, Al Arabi, The National Sudan Channel, and Al Zargaa Channel.