A grassroots network of community aid workers in Sudan has been awarded the Chatham House Prize for its “crucial” role in delivering humanitarian assistance.
The war in Sudan enters its fourth year and the Chatham House Prize is voted for by the think tank members.
The Emergency Response Rooms operate in towns and villages across Sudan, communicating with each other to help evacuate people from conflict areas, assist with food and aid deliveries, and support victims of gender-based violence and rape.
Khalid Gurashi, who co-founded an ERR in South Kordofan, said the movement grew by bringing young people from local neighbourhoods together to support their communities.
“We see ourselves as a community initiative that grew out of youth committees in different sectors to respond to the massive humanitarian needs in Sudan,” Mr Gurashi told The National.
“The trust our communities place on our shoulders is a glimmer of hope for us. This is what allows us to persevere and to continue this work, because we are part of our community."
Sudan’s civil war between army chief Gen Abdel Fattah Al Burhan and the paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces’ commander Gen Mohamed Dagalo has created the world’s largest humanitarian and displacement crises.
An estimated 12 million people have fled their homes, and nearly half of the population – 25 million people – face hunger. Tens of thousands have died and both groups have been accused of war crimes.
The four who received the prize at a ceremony in London hoped to shed light on what is often described as a forgotten conflict.
Alaa Taris, an emergency responder from North Kordofan, spoke to The National of her work with victims of gender-based violence and orphaned children.
“We work with women and children, to move them from places under siege to safer spaces,” she said. “We provide social support and empower them.”
Ms Taris had met children as young as five who were victims of rape, and many are then rejected by their families.
“We also had infants who lost both of their parents. It was very challenging for us to cater for them,” she said. “Some passed away because of our inability to cater for their needs.
Ms Taris led a food assistance programme at a refugee camp in the city of El Obeid. She said she went to London to shed light on the situation for women and children in Sudan.
“We really need to be aware that their voices matter, we need to listen to them. It isn’t a question of just giving the food and water. It's not about charity, it's more than that,” she said.
Abdallah Mohammed, a telecommunications engineer from South Khordafan, recalled the challenges the ERR faced during the 18-month siege of the city of El Fasher by the RSF.
“During the siege of El Fasher, the only spaces that had food available were those occupied by the ERR responders. We lost one of our volunteers there, it was very challenging for us,” Mr Mohammed said.
“It was the day that Fasher fell. He told us ‘I wish we’d left’. He was a witness to the atrocities before he himself succumbed."
Journalist Alsanosi Adam, a spokesman for the ERR, said the network relied entirely on local communities, who determined their own needs and worked together for access to them.
“There’s nobody who will come from another town to work as an ER. What we’ve done is mutual aid,” Mr Adam said.
“When a city is under siege, or there’s no way to get food in, they're just usually talking to independent traders who have their own way of bringing the food in. It’s the communities that are operating. When you do it that way, you get a certain level of protection, because communities know one another,” he said.
Mr Gurashi said ERRs will carry the memories of the war, including across the network’s 700 Facebook pages. “We are part and parcel of Sudanese society, and part of the collective memory of this war,” he said.
The Chatham House Prize is voted on after nominations from the institute’s staff, and was launched in 2005.
Previous recipients of the Prize include Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Sir David Attenborough, the Committee to Protect Journalists and Doctors without Borders.
