Sudan in Perspective: The Conflict, Its Drivers and the International Community Since April 2023, Sudan has been gripped by a devastating war between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Both groups are backed by external actors whose competing interests have further intensified the humanitarian crisis on the ground. The RSF, which is armed and supplied by the United Arab Emirates, stands accused of genocide in Darfur. On the other hand, SAF, which has allied with the Islamist Movement in Sudan and receives support from several regional countries, has also been accused of committing atrocities and human rights violations. Despite the scale of atrocities, mainstream legacy media and the broader international community have largely remained bystanders, taking little meaningful action to name or sanction the warring parties and their supporters. We are joined by Hamid Khalafallah (University of Manchester), who will trace the genealogy of the current conflict in Sudan and shed light on the geopolitical entanglements that continue to fuel it. Khalafallah will be joined by Award-Nominated Journalist Mat Nashed, who will respond with reflections on covering Sudan. Chaired by Dr Mira Al Hussein (University of Edinburgh). Speakers: Hamid Khalafallah is a researcher, policy analyst and development practitioner. He is currently a PhD researcher at the Global Development Institute of the University of Manchester, researching grassroots movements and political transitions in Africa. Before that, Hamid worked for various international organisations in Sudan, focusing on governance and development issues. He holds a Master’s degree in International Development from the University of Bradford, where he studied as a Chevening scholar and was awarded the Development Studies Association (DSA) dissertation prize. Moreover, Hamid is a former fellow of the Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy (TIMEP) in the US, and an alumnus of the Young African Leaders’ Programme at the School of Transnational Governance of the European University Institute (EUI) in Italy. Hamid’s research interests include participatory governance, democracy and democratisation processes, citizen-state engagement and inclusive development. He writes regularly for various online policy platforms. Mat Nashed is a seasoned journalist who has closely covered Sudan since the popular uprising that erupted in December 2018 and led to the ousting of then-autocratic President Omar al-Bashir. Until recently, he was a senior reporter for Al Jazeera English, where he wrote and reported extensively on the war between the RSF and the SAF. He continues to cover Sudan as a freelancer, with his work appearing in major outlets and policy-oriented publications such as the Newlines Institute and the Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy. His reporting emphasises the lived experience of civilians trapped in the war, often highlighting the work and challenges facing grassroots initiatives, the scale of atrocities, the militarisation of daily life and the extractive logics fueling the violence. Dr Mira Al Hussein is an Associate Fellow with Alwaleed Centre. She is a sociologist of the Arab States of the Gulf. Her research focuses on the state-society relations, gender and Gulf geopolitics. Dec 11 2025 16.00 - 17.30 Sudan in Perspective: The Conflict, Its Drivers and the International Community We are joined by Hamid Khalafallah (University of Manchester), who will trace the genealogy of the current conflict in Sudan and shed light on the geopolitical entanglements that continue to fuel it. Khalafallah will be joined by Award-Nominated Journalist Mat Nashed, who will respond with reflections on covering Sudan. Online Registration
Sudan in Perspective: The Conflict, Its Drivers and the International Community Since April 2023, Sudan has been gripped by a devastating war between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Both groups are backed by external actors whose competing interests have further intensified the humanitarian crisis on the ground. The RSF, which is armed and supplied by the United Arab Emirates, stands accused of genocide in Darfur. On the other hand, SAF, which has allied with the Islamist Movement in Sudan and receives support from several regional countries, has also been accused of committing atrocities and human rights violations. Despite the scale of atrocities, mainstream legacy media and the broader international community have largely remained bystanders, taking little meaningful action to name or sanction the warring parties and their supporters. We are joined by Hamid Khalafallah (University of Manchester), who will trace the genealogy of the current conflict in Sudan and shed light on the geopolitical entanglements that continue to fuel it. Khalafallah will be joined by Award-Nominated Journalist Mat Nashed, who will respond with reflections on covering Sudan. Chaired by Dr Mira Al Hussein (University of Edinburgh). Speakers: Hamid Khalafallah is a researcher, policy analyst and development practitioner. He is currently a PhD researcher at the Global Development Institute of the University of Manchester, researching grassroots movements and political transitions in Africa. Before that, Hamid worked for various international organisations in Sudan, focusing on governance and development issues. He holds a Master’s degree in International Development from the University of Bradford, where he studied as a Chevening scholar and was awarded the Development Studies Association (DSA) dissertation prize. Moreover, Hamid is a former fellow of the Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy (TIMEP) in the US, and an alumnus of the Young African Leaders’ Programme at the School of Transnational Governance of the European University Institute (EUI) in Italy. Hamid’s research interests include participatory governance, democracy and democratisation processes, citizen-state engagement and inclusive development. He writes regularly for various online policy platforms. Mat Nashed is a seasoned journalist who has closely covered Sudan since the popular uprising that erupted in December 2018 and led to the ousting of then-autocratic President Omar al-Bashir. Until recently, he was a senior reporter for Al Jazeera English, where he wrote and reported extensively on the war between the RSF and the SAF. He continues to cover Sudan as a freelancer, with his work appearing in major outlets and policy-oriented publications such as the Newlines Institute and the Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy. His reporting emphasises the lived experience of civilians trapped in the war, often highlighting the work and challenges facing grassroots initiatives, the scale of atrocities, the militarisation of daily life and the extractive logics fueling the violence. Dr Mira Al Hussein is an Associate Fellow with Alwaleed Centre. She is a sociologist of the Arab States of the Gulf. Her research focuses on the state-society relations, gender and Gulf geopolitics. Dec 11 2025 16.00 - 17.30 Sudan in Perspective: The Conflict, Its Drivers and the International Community We are joined by Hamid Khalafallah (University of Manchester), who will trace the genealogy of the current conflict in Sudan and shed light on the geopolitical entanglements that continue to fuel it. Khalafallah will be joined by Award-Nominated Journalist Mat Nashed, who will respond with reflections on covering Sudan. Online Registration
Dec 11 2025 16.00 - 17.30 Sudan in Perspective: The Conflict, Its Drivers and the International Community We are joined by Hamid Khalafallah (University of Manchester), who will trace the genealogy of the current conflict in Sudan and shed light on the geopolitical entanglements that continue to fuel it. Khalafallah will be joined by Award-Nominated Journalist Mat Nashed, who will respond with reflections on covering Sudan.
