The recent atrocities in El-Fashir at the end of October have brought Sudan back into the global spotlight. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk condemned the world’s failure: “The bloodstains in El-Fashir have been photographed from space. The stain on the vest of the international community is less visible, but no less condemnable.” (orf.at)
Wednesday, 10 December 2025, 18:00 – 20:00 hrs
NOVUM, Wien Hauptbahnhof
Karl-Popper-Straße 16, 1100 Vienna
In cooperation with Mendy for Peace Culture and Diversity Management
Registration: fanizadeh@vidc.org
Background
The event will provide Sudanese refugees and humanitarian actors with a platform and give a voice to those who were forced to flee the war and now live in exile. The discussion will focus on their experiences, challenges, and perspectives — both within the country and in the diaspora. Special attention will be given to the situation of women and young people, who continue to fight for a better future despite war and displacement. The discussion will also address the political, ecological, economic, and social factors that contributed to the outbreak of the current war.
Six years ago, a peaceful civil society movement succeeded in overthrowing Sudan’s long-time dictator, Omar al-Bashir. Yet the hope for democracy and peace was short-lived. A military coup in October 2021 abruptly ended the transitional process, and since April 2022, two rival military factions have been waging a brutal war. More than 10 million people have been displaced, and 25 million face a man-made famine. According to UNHCR, the number of internally displaced persons in Sudan is expected to exceed 11 million by the end of 2024, while over 2.7 million have already fled to neighboring countries.
Speakers
Nisreen Elsaim
is a Sudanese climate and civil rights activist. Since fleeing the civil war in Sudan, she has been living in Berlin as a fellow of the Robert Bosch Academy (since 2024). She studied physics and renewable energy at the University of Khartoum from 2012, where she first became active in environmental protection. Over the years, she has led and coordinated several national and international organizations supporting young climate activists. In 2020, she completed her master’s degree in renewable energy. Nisreen also took part in Sudan’s 2018 democracy movement.
Mohamed Refaat (Live from Sudan)
is the Chief of Mission for the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Sudan. He is an experienced professional, recognized for his skill in orchestrating complex humanitarian operations and his strategic contributions to access negotiations, as well as crossline and cross-border operations. His career is marked by a strong commitment to early recovery and resilience programming within challenging humanitarian and post-conflict environments. His roles have included leading migration and displacement emergency response operations through crises in Yemen, Syria, Libya, Tunisia, Belarus, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and the Central African Republic, as well as major health emergencies such as the Ebola outbreak in 2014 and the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2018 he reached the position of IOM Global Senior Operations Coordinator at IOM HQ in the Department of Operations and Emergency, under the Director of Emergency.
Christoph Sternat
is a legal professional and head of Division VII.3 (Humanitarian Aid and Food Aid) at the Austrian Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs.
Live from Sudan
Ishraga Mustafa Hamid,
Mendy for Peace Culture and Diversity Management, is an author, political scientist, translator, and journalist. She is the representative for Arabic literature at the Austrian PEN Club, has published books, and has translated works into Arabic and German. She studied in Khartoum (Sudan) and Vienna.
Yassin Mohammed Alsamany (Live from Egypt)
is an agricultural engineer with both academic and practical training from the University of Khartoum. In the years following his graduation, he focused on his professional development through agricultural projects, technical workshops, and international programs that promote peace and diversity. He recently participated in the Mendy Program for Peace and Diversity (June 2025, Germany). Since 2024, he has also been working with educational institutions in the fields of marketing and community engagement, supporting programs that promote learning, sustainability, and social awareness.
Omniya Anwer Khalid Ahmed (Live from Egypt)
is a student at the Faculty of Fine and Applied Arts at Sudan University of Science and Technology, specializing in graphic design. She is committed to peacebuilding, women’s empowerment, and the protection of human rights. For her, art is not only a form of expression but also a powerful language for promoting dignity, equality, and social awareness. Her goal is to use design as a voice for change - to foster dialogue, spread hope, and contribute to building a more peaceful and inclusive society in which every individual’s voice is valued.
Moderation: Marafi Mustafa
is studying Sociology at the University of Graz. She is active in the Black Women’s Community Vienna (Schwarze Frauen Community) and is, among other things, jointly responsible for administering the “WE CAN” LEA project as well as for planning and facilitating workshops.