The recent escalation in violence in Darfur, Sudan has shaken the global community with its brutality, relentlessness, and disregard for the inherent value of human life.  

As an organization, we are deeply grieved and disturbed by this violence in a country where we work to provide life-saving medical care. While we do not actively work in Darfur, our teams remain active in 60% of the refugee camps across Sudan, working tirelessly to save lives and alleviate suffering for families who have been impacted by the ongoing war.  

We vehemently condemn this violence and stand with our fellow humanitarian aid workers who are working in that region. Our hearts are stricken with the crushing weight of grief. 

Grief for unspeakable violence and trauma being inflicted on the people of Sudan. Grief for our exceptional colleagues who are showing up at work, day after day, amid the backdrop of this unthinkable horror. Grief that we can’t do more to hold space for their pain. 

Medical Teams’ Senior Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) Officer Mohammed Elkhatim recently shared, “These are the kind of nights when breathing feels impossible. Fear lives in every face around us. After nearly three years of war, we have grown weak. Our resilience has eroded. On the frontlines, we carry exhaustion and helplessness that words can hardly describe.” 

We know that God speaks directly to those who mourn, reassuring them and emphasizing the importance of unity and shared faith in times of suffering. In Matthew 5:4 Jesus says “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” Although our faith asks us to lean into grief with the promise of God’s comfort, the scale of the conflict in Sudan can be challenging even for those with deep faith. 

The Rise of National Trauma 

The people of Sudan, including our Sudanese staff, are experiencing something even more all-encompassing than personal grief. Although the situations aren’t directly comparable, and the level of violence is far less, many Americans are beginning to exhibit a collective psychological breakdown from the seemingly endless cycle of negative media and social dysfunction. This constant, oppressive feeling of fear and instability has a name— “national trauma.” 

National trauma refers to the emotional and psychological impact that large-scale events have on a community or nation. These events can range from wars and natural disasters, to terrorist attacks and systemic injustices. Sudan is arguably experiencing all of these, in some capacity. 

The conflict has completely destabilized Sudan’s infrastructure, and 30 million people are currently in need of humanitarian assistance just to survive. Famine is confirmed in parts of Sudan, and the hunger situation across much of the country remains catastrophic. Organizations like UNHCR are reporting widespread sexual violence against women and girls by armed groups during attacks and as they flee, along with reports of harrowing executions. 

In Sudan, it is not even safe to openly grieve. “Last night, while thirty women were mourning at a funeral, they were killed,” Elkhatim shared.  “Even grief itself is no longer safe.”  

The reality that even mourning has been taken from the Sudanese people speaks to the depth of the oppression, violence, and trauma they are facing.  

A Staggering Impact 

Amid such overwhelming suffering, even our courageous, tenacious staff feel that they aren’t doing enough. Asma, a clinical psychologist with Medical Teams working in Al Jazirah, shared, “I wish I could do more. So many bad things happened here. The worst imaginable. The people of Sudan don’t deserve this. They’re good, kind people. Please help us.” 

Asma spends her 8-hour workday providing mental health support to men, women, and children who have been traumatized by the war, and often makes house calls late into the evening. But despite her and other MHPPS staff’s heroic efforts, demand for mental health care is ever-growing in Sudan as the conflict continues to escalate.  

The effects of national trauma can be varied and leave lasting impacts, such as: 

 – Mental health issues: Increased rates of PTSD, anxiety, and depression among affected populations 

 – Social Disconnection: People may feel isolated or distrustful of others 

 – Cultural Displacement: Loss of cultural identity and community cohesion 

Research suggests that the impacts of collective trauma like Sudan is experiencing will  infiltrate every single aspect of daily life and likely have generational impacts.  

Steeped in Collective Pain 

In addition to the deeply personal and subjective aspects of national trauma, when videos of the atrocities being committed against your neighbors are circulated online like they are right now in Darfur, it can amplify psychological pain.  

Prolonged exposure to traumatic images and video content in the media can cause symptoms like nightmares, emotional numbness, and intrusive thoughts—symptoms that are akin to those who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder.  

In some cases, experiencing extended periods of violence and instability—even indirectly—can crush a person’s sense of safety, security, and even identity. The suffering of the Sudanese people who are directly experiencing the violence, starvation, and displacement of the ongoing war is undeniable and gut wrenching, but we must also acknowledge the ways people outside the conflict zone (including our staff in-country) are impacted by watching the pain of their countrymen and women live-streamed on social media.   

“At the time I am writing this message, someone is being killed—by bombing or execution—and another is dying of hunger because of the siege,” shared Elnayer Mohammednur, a Senior Mental Health and Psychosocial Support officer with Medical Teams. “Death looms in every corner of the city. All I can do is tell the world about it and pray for them.” 

Some days it feels like all we can do is pray.  

But in those moments, we mustn’t overlook the power of sitting with our grief, and the grief of the people of Sudan, as a response to the ongoing violence. 

In Lamentations 2:18-19, we get a beautiful description of visceral grief that is anything but passive: “Let your tears flow like a river day and night; give yourself no relief, your eyes no rest. Arise, cry out in the night, as the watches of the night begin; pour out your heart like water in the presence of the Lord.” 

Perhaps this is one way that we can acknowledge and honor the experiences of our Sudanese colleagues and people we serve—by grieving openly by their sides. Not only for them, but with them.  

What else can we do when we feel powerless? 

Hold Open Dialogues 

Medical Teams continues to keep an open line of communication with our colleagues in Sudan to live out our core value of “Not Alone.” As they, and the people of Sudan experience and process this escalation in violence, we encourage conversations about how the situation is impacting them and the people they serve. 

We listen actively to their stories, their challenges, and their triumphs in saving lives. We validate their experiences and build empathy.  

Researcher and New York Times bestselling author Brene Brown says, “an experience of collective pain does not deliver us from grief or sadness; it is a ministry of presence. These moments remind us that we are not alone in our darkness and that our broken heart is connected to every heart that has known pain since the beginning of time.”  

Send life-saving mental healthcare to Sudan 

Therapeutic interventions play a crucial role in addressing the complex emotional needs that arise during collective trauma and mourning. One of the most effective interventions is group therapy. If you want to help provide this kind of support for Sudanese people, you can make a gift to provide a group counseling session for 20 people via our Gift Catalog. 

This is a tangible way to help people in Sudan heal from the trauma of war and displacement through a counseling session led by trained psychologists that offers care, community, and hope. 

Acknowledge Your Feelings 

In the face of large-scale humanitarian crises like the situation in Sudan, it’s critical that impacted people allow themselves to feel the full spectrum of emotions—fear, rage, sadness, hopelessness, apathy, and all others.  

Creating judgment-free space for the wide range of human reactions to trauma helps regulate our individual emotions while honoring the reality of the situation and its impact. On us, on our colleagues, on those we will never have the opportunity to know directly, but for whom our hearts break.  

We hope you’ll join us in the ministry of prayer and being present for our colleagues and the people they serve in Sudan while offering compassion to yourself and others as we seek to hold deep, difficult emotions.