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

MSF is sharing a selection of photographs 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.

“I was born in Sennar and I used to live in Khartoum. After the war started, I was shot and I was displaced from Khartoum to Sennar, then to Dinder and finally to Al Gedaref, where I have currently settled in the school. I don't know where this bullet came from because there were a lot of crossfire and many people. All I cared about at that time was my children.” - Nisreen Mukhtar Ahmed

“I was born in Sennar and I used to live in Khartoum. After the war started, I was shot and I was displaced from Khartoum to Sennar, then to Dinder and finally to Al Gedaref, where I have currently settled in the school. I don't know where this bullet came from because there were a lot of crossfire and many people. All I cared about at that time was my children.” - Nisreen Mukhtar Ahmed

“I was displaced from Khartoum to Al Hosh city, Al Jazirah State, where I stayed for four months. That is when I was injured by a bullet in my right hand while going to the mill. I moved to another city and took the necessary steps to be treated by a doctor, thank God. I had one operation to fix the bones and I couldn’t afford the second operation to repair the nerves. It has been seven months since I cannot work as blacksmith because of my injury, but I have to support my family...” - Abdul Muhaymen Moussa

“I am displaced from Sinja. While fleeing through Al Dinder with my blind mother and my children, I received a bullet in my left leg. At that exact moment, I felt that my leg was heavy, and I could not move it, like ice. A few minutes later, I felt like a burning fire in it, and suddenly I saw that my leg was bleeding. Luckily, someone with a car took me away. The next day, I went to the hospital where I had a surgery to remove the bullet. I had no money to pay for it, but they did it anyway. Three days after we arrived in Al Gedaref, MSF nurses cleaned my wound, and it has closed now.” - Najat Elias Salem Bayyah

"I have been very much affected by the war, I have no one with me, except my children, and I was forced to flee two times, leaving two cities. “As the fighting got closer, we left Sennar where we lived, to go to the Dinder Bridge. It was six o'clock in the evening and suddenly the Rapid Support Forces came and killed a man in his vehicle. We fled by foot, walking for two days in the Dinder desert, exposed. We had no food. The next day, I was with my four daughters, but my son was missing. I didn’t find him until seven days later… we crossed the al Dinder bridge and it was flooded. The water drenched everything, so all our few belongings, household items and even mobile telephones were lost. I am not sorry for the house and my belongings; I am only affected by what has happened to me and my daughters as they are not going to school any longer.” - Fatima Qasmallah Al-Sheikh Masker, displaced from Sennar

Due to the war that broke out in 2020 in Ethiopia’s Tigray region, more than 17,000 Ethiopian refugees have settled across the border with Sudan in Um Rakuba camp. Malou Badliho arrived in 2022. She just gave birth to her second child in the camp.

With the situation continuing to deteriorate in Sudan, the humanitarian response must scale up to meet the massive needs of the Sudanese people and end their suffering.