Our second speaker was Nisreen Elsaim, a Sudanese environmental, climate, and Human Rights activist, who brought her lived experience as a person who fled from Khartoum, as well as data from her work on Sudan’s conflict and displacement. She began her remarks by emphasizing the basics: every human being has the right to dignity, regardless of color, religion, or nationality. This should be guaranteed to everyone in the world. However, this is not the reality for Sudanese people in the current context. But why is Sudan not in the news, or rather, in mainstream media?

Elsaim addressed this question with two key points. First, for a long time, the media has portrayed Sudan, and other African countries, with a colonial image of barbarity, as if everyone were constantly killing each other. This narrative normalizes the problems in these countries, ignoring that Sudan is much more than this, it has culture, nature, and life beyond war – things most people do not know about it. Second, external interference in Sudan has always served external interests rather than the Sudanese people themselves. Consequently, peace agreements were developed far from the communities they affect, which is why they never work.

Elsaim shared findings from a 2018 study she conducted with young people aged 18 to 30, in which 84% stated they would cross the Mediterranean to Europe, even with a 90% chance of not surviving. This highlights that, even before the current conflict, and amid an already critical situation under the previous government, many were willing to risk their lives for the small chance of survival. She emphasized that these numbers represent a real lack of hope and the depth of despair among the population. According to Elsaim, if states do not want migration, they should invest in local communities, building resilience, strengthening governance, and creating opportunities. She argued that securitization and militarization do not prevent the problem, they fuel it. Elsaim also highlighted that the Khartoum Process, promoted by the European Union to prevent migration, actually provided resources to the RSF, who are now actively fighting in Sudan.

Furthermore, she discussed the changing aspirations of young Sudanese. After the 2019 revolution, only 20% wanted to migrate to Europe through the Mediterranean, showing hope for basic services such as health, education, and food. However, a later survey of 2,000 young people, conducted three months after the war started in 2023, revealed that 92% prioritized education above immediate survival needs, seeing it as the only way to move forward. Peace was also widely desired, but social media and misinformation have fueled the ongoing conflict. Hate speech and disinformation by both the RSF and armed forces have escalated violence, which was exemplified by a July 2024 incident, where people were killed in a livestreamed “marathon of slaughter”. Following that, she criticized global responses that focus on crises rather than prevention, highlighting the need for aid to avoid creating dependency and to support long-term solutions. Finally, she emphasized the compounding effects of conflict and climate change, noting that the 2024 floods displaced 2 million people, perpetuating cycles of insecurity and forced movement, and illustrating the need for holistic solutions. Elsaim concluded by stressing that behind every statistic are real lives, families, and communities: “these numbers are us,” she said.

The second part of our panel focused on remarks by two Sudanese Youth, Yassin Mohammed Alsamany and Omniya Anwer Khalid Ahmed, that underscored the resilience and agency of Sudanese in the context of the ongoing conflict and mass displacement. Omniya Ahmed emphasized that, despite the collapse of state institutions, communities in Sudan have built their own support systems through local solidarity networks, including women’s groups, neighborhood initiatives, and youth-led actions that provide food, shelter, basic healthcare, and emotional support. She highlighted the determination of young people to continue learning and acquire new digital skills, as well as the crucial role of the diaspora in accessing scholarships, remote work, and global networks that help sustain families and transfer knowledge.  For her, Sudanese youth are not waiting for change but actively shaping it through community action, continuous learning, and small-scale economic initiatives that restore dignity and a sense of future.

Speaking from Cairo, Yassin Alsamany described the difficult situation faced by Sudanese refugees in Egypt, including economic insecurity, limited access to healthcare and education, legal uncertainties, and the psychosocial impact of trauma and loss. Nonetheless, he stressed that the diaspora community remains active and committed to rebuilding their lives. He pointed to vocational training programmes that equip young Sudanese with valuable work skills and allow them to support their families. He also mentioned community centers that offer safe spaces for learning, social support, and cultural expression. Both speakers highlighted the importance of international support, especially in expanding vocational training, improving access to services through partnerships with local organizations and ensuring emotional and moral support that amplifies Sudanese voices and reinforces a sense of hope.

As a last speaker, Ishraga Mustafa presented the grassroot work of Mendy for Peace, Culture and Diversity Management with Sudanese women and youth in Sudan, Egypt, and Europe. Mendy uses culture, writing, education, and community initiatives as tools for healing, empowerment and memory preservation. Their key activities include writing workshops that enable displaced women to document their lived experiences, storytelling projects, vocational training for displaced Sudanese youth – particularly in Cairo – and educational and cultural programs implemented simultaneously across Sudan, Egypt, and Austria.  They also have published books with the stories of Sudanese, as a way to give voice for their lived experiences and resilience.

The event also counted with a short performance about Sudan by the Theatre of the Oppressed and a Q&A session. The Q&A discussion addressed key challenges in the Sudanese conflict and the role of international actors. The session emphasized the repeated failures of ceasefires, which are often used by armed groups to regroup rather than advance peace, and the mistrust in the international justice system due to its perceived ineffectiveness. Questions were raised about the involvement of mediators, including the United States, Qatar, and the African Union. The speakers pointed out that many of these counties have veiled interests that compromise neutrality, and that civil society and youth voices remain largely excluded from peace processes. Consequently, there is a need of mobilization of the international community to build a platform that allow Sudanese to come together and discuss strategies and possible solutions for the conflict. Additionally, the interconnection of global conflicts was brought it, as the Sudanese war can be linked with fueling resource flows, such as gold, that impact other crises like the war in Ukraine. As a conclusion, it was highlighted that peacebuilding strategies for the Sudanese conflict requires coordinated pressure on both internal and external actors, prioritizing the protection of civilians and creating conditions for a concrete transition.