Description
Join our panel of experts as they discuss the current crisis in Sudan. Ignored by the world’s media, this is a war which has resulted in a severe humanitarian disaster, with over 14,000 fatalities and millions displaced both within Sudan and in neighbouring countries.
The conflict began in April 2023, marked by intense fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). This has led to the collapse of critical infrastructure, including healthcare and sanitation systems. Over 8 million people are internally displaced, and an additional 1.8 million have fled to neighbouring nations like Chad, Egypt and South Sudan. With severe food insecurity, nearly 18 million people face acute hunger and 10,500 suspected cholera cases have been reported.
The international community, including the UN and various humanitarian organisations, is striving to provide aid, but access constraints and ongoing violence pose significant challenges.
Our panel will examine the complexities of the issues, efforts to negotiate peace and how much needed relief can be found for the affected population.
Please note, this venue has changed from the printed programme.
About the Speakers
Jamal Mahjoub
Jamal Mahjoub is a British-Sudanese writer. Born in London, he was raised in Khartoum where his family remained until 1990. He has lived in a number of places, including the UK, Denmark, Spain and the Netherlands. His novels include Travelling with Djinns and The Drift Latitudes. Under the pseudonym Parker Bilal he is the author of the Inspector Makana crime series and, most recently, the Crane and Drake series. His latest non-fiction book, A Line in the River, was longlisted for the Ondaatje Prize.
Hamid Khalafallah
Hamid Khalafallah is a development practitioner, researcher and policy analyst. He is currently a PhD candidate at the Global Development Institute of the University of Manchester, researching democratic transitions and grassroots movements in Africa. Before that, he worked for various international organisations, working on governance and development issues in Sudan. Hamid holds a master’s degree in International Development from the University of Bradford, where he studies as a Chevening Scholar and was awarded the 2019 UK Development Studies Association dissertation prize. Hamid’s research interests include participatory governance, democratisation processes, citizen-state engagement and inclusive development.
About the Chair
Adela Suliman
Adela is a big fan of the Bradford Literature Festival and has been attending for many years! She is an international breaking-news reporter for The Washington Post based in London. Previously, she has worked for NBC News, Al Jazeera English, Thomson Reuters and The Associated Press. She is a graduate of the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London, with a degree in Law, and Columbia’s Graduate School of Journalism. Before pivoting to journalism, she spent four years as an international corporate lawyer in London, Dubai and Libya. Adela is interested in China and Africa and has traveled to more than 70 countries, including reporting trips to Kyrgyzstan, Nepal, Jordan, the United States and much of Europe. Adela grew up in Manchester, Kent and London but also spent long stints in Khartoum, the Sudanese capital, where her father was born.
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