What It’s Like To … Be a First Responder in the Sudan War

When the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) recaptured Khartoum's presidential palace from the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) last week, international news outlets celebrated what is widely perceived to be a win in a devastating war nearing its two-year mark. Online, people were more somber in the comment sections; most Sudanese are cautious about embracing the very same army that they rebelled against in the first place.

In the past two years of destruction, which have plunged Sudan into the world's worst humanitarian crisis, the international community mostly turned its back on the Sudanese people, leaving them to build their own structures of mutual support. The Emergency Response Rooms (ERRs), a continuation of the grassroots Local Resistance Committees organizing towards a democratic transition before the war, have been the first responders across the country.

What impact do SAF's recent wins have on the work of the ERRs, which have been scrambling for funds since the global USAID cuts?

In segments edited for length and clarity, Dr. Abeer Dirarand Mohamed ElMujtaba Eadam, organizers in theKhartoum Locality ERR, speak to OkayAfrica about their work, the situation on the ground, and whether they see an improvement in light of recent developments.

Dr. Dirar: I joined when the ERRs were first established in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, working as a coordinator with the medical office. The ERR was initiated in East Khartoum to respond to the health situation after COVID-19, then the floods in 2021 and 2022, and the coup in October 2021. When the war erupted in April 2023, we reactivated our neighborhood ERR.

Eadam: I'm a public health professional, climate change policy researcher, and member of the external communication committee. There are seven localities within Khartoum state and 18 states in Sudan overall - ERRs are actively functioning in 14 of them. Some are war zones, some are not, and some are in between. In the external communications committee, we are the first point of communication with donors, media outlets, and other ERRs that want to connect.

The ERRs are decentralized humanitarian networks that use a bottom-up approach. Their history goes back to before the state of Sudan was established. What we now call communal kitchens started in Sufi-dominant places where poor people would come together, recite the Qur'an, learn to read and write, and eventually get food and shelter.

Fast forward to the eruption of the war when Sudanese found themselves without any helplines: governmental institutions have collapsed, and the international NGOs have evacuated Sudan. Each ERR has its unique structure, but overall, they function through working committees. At the core, there's the program committee, the reports committee, the external communications committee, and the finance committee. The specialized offices differ from education, catering/food security, gender/women's response, protection, medical, and services like the wash. We have coordinators for each office and committee responsible for overseeing and conducting work.

Dr. Dirar: We are facing a medical emergency through the violence between SAF and RSF and health problems because of the outbreak of diseases like cholera while no hospitals are working. People depend on primary health care centers and mobile clinics, with a shortage of medical supplies.

Eadam: We face many communications issues relating to security matters overall and the damaged infrastructure. Our workers are being targeted, arrested, and even killed. Our communal kitchens are being attacked and looted, and our kitchen coordinators are detained for ransom. It's hard to convince the militias that we are neutral and not affiliated with anyone.

Dr. Dirar: We are trying to protect the volunteers by negotiating with the RSF and SAF on the ground.

Eadam: With the suspension of USAID, we lost over 70 percent of our funds. That left almost 70,000 people without food because our communal kitchens provide one meal per day. We are facing restrictions regarding the transactions of funds we are getting, as the ERRs are not officially registered entities, so we have to use a facilitator. These policies and restrictions lead our volunteers to make desperate decisions with dangerous outcomes, sometimes losing their lives.

We are yet to receive any funding, but we're conducting social media campaigns and speaking with other donors. We rely heavily on the diaspora, but it's been almost two years now, and there isn't a member of the diaspora who hasn't been affected by this war. Some internal charitable entities are helping those who are now returning to their homes. SAF also has a civil body providing enough services for people not to die of hunger.

Dr. Dirar: It's our responsibility and an emotional satisfaction to help the people that have nothing to do with this war. The collaboration between the ERRs makes us optimistic and willing to support.

Eadam: [The most rewarding aspect is] the spirit of collective work. Hopefully, that will be the start of a better Sudan, Insha'Allah. Our network has introduced us to many others in the East and West and awakened unity as we share a common goal: We save lives together. We mourn those we have lost together. Hopefully, when this war ends, we will again be united to rebuild our homeland, Insha'Allah.

Eadam: SAF liberating a neighborhood is a positive thing, but we are not that favorable towards them. The humanitarian situation changes as each warring party has its own logistics routes. So after SAF recaptures a neighborhood, our services are disrupted, and we cannot run communal kitchens or mobile clinics, which affects the families who are entirely dependent on such services. This is beyond the government's capacity; it needs international support. To sum it up, SAF recapturing a place is a relieving feeling as they don't target civilians, but SAF and RSF are jointly targeting our volunteers.