A pivotal moment in Sudan’s ongoing civil war unfolded on March 21 as the Sudanese military seized back control of the presidential palace and captured most of Khartoum, Sudan’s capital city. This marked a dramatic shift in the conflict as civilians witnessed the overthrow of the paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The war, which has raged between the RSF and the Sudanese Armed Forces since April 2023, has left more than 30.4 million people in dire need of humanitarian support, and now, with the country thrown into further turmoil, more civilians will likely suffer.
Fueled in part by President Donald Trump’s “America First” agenda, this insurrection mirrors a larger trend of instability on the global stage. In its first two months, the Trump administration already caused the upheaval of deep-seated political, social and economic norms in the United States. From lofty proposals for the acquisition of Greenland to mass deportations of migrant communities, his policies have set the nation on an unprecedented course. Rooted in the idea of protecting and prioritizing American interests, the platform seeks to upset decades of a system in which others “shamelessly exploit” American altruism.
Included in his agenda was the freezing of billions of dollars of foreign aid and humanitarian assistance programs for 90 days, which began on Jan. 20. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is the largest recipient of these funds, receiving nearly $40 billion annually before the freeze, and the impact of Trump’s new policy has been catastrophic. Millions of people around the world have been cut off from essential aid, such as healthcare and vaccination programs, which includes those severely impacted by the conflict in Sudan. Among the program cuts are disease treatments for malaria and HIV/AIDS, disease surveillance and health supply chain systems. As a result, the unchecked spread of diseases like avian influenza, Ebola and monkeypox is expected to surge. With additional plans to terminate nearly $2.6 billion funding of Gavi, a critical vaccination program for children in developing countries, Trump’s policies pose a threat to the health of millions of global citizens.
Ending U.S. international aid will be disastrous for global public health efforts, endangering the availability of vital medical services and food programs for vulnerable populations across the world. Without this aid and these services, hundreds of thousands of people could die. Immediate action is critical — Emory University students must support campus education initiatives about the crisis, amplify fundraising campaigns and pressure elected officials to demand the continuation of aid to Sudan. Due to political tensions in Sudan and the restriction of direct government-to-government assistance, USAID was paramount in channeling American foreign aid into life-saving development programs. Now, organizations in Nyala, Sudan’s second-largest city, have been forced to stop providing water to displaced people. In Khartoum, programs that provide basic healthcare, food and sexual and reproductive health supplies have been completely shut down. As long as the future of funding remains entangled with present legal disputes, vulnerable populations in crisis-impacted areas like Gaza, Myanmar, Afghanistan and Sudan will continue to bear the brunt of prolonged uncertainty and bureaucratic deadlock.
As Emory students — many of whom are aspiring to be healthcare professionals, global health researchers and policy advocates — we cannot ignore the role that Trump’s foreign policy plays in exacerbating the effects of the war on Sudanese civilians. Much of the advocacy work by students on our campus aims to advance health equity and humanitarian relief, even as Trump’s policy decisions continue to undermine these very efforts abroad.
To combat the realities of this civil war on Emory’s own campus, Emory for Sudan was founded in February 2024. Last April, the campus organization launched a week-long campaign titled “Eyes on Sudan Week” that focused on education, awareness and fundraising for the roughly 8 million people that the Sudanese civil war displaced at the time. Events like these are great at increasing awareness about Sudan, but Emory, as a community that prides itself on public health advocacy and social justice, cannot rely on the efforts of a few campus organizations to sustain its collective advocacy as the Trump administration freezes foreign aid.
We must start on an individual basis — educating ourselves, friends and family about the current crisis in Sudan and fervently working to stand in the face of misinformation that floods our social media pages and morning headlines. Blindly consuming unilateral narratives, such as sensationalist reporting of Western protagonism in regional diplomatic initiatives and erasing marginalized Sudanese voices is harmful in promoting propagandized media efforts. We should actively seek out diverse sources of news from experienced journalists on the ground in Sudan, such as Zainab Mohammed Salih and Mohammed Alamin, amplify the voices of Sudanese activists and scholars and assess reports from varying political angles and regions of the world. We have the responsibility to hold the U.S. government accountable for its actions; additionally, we must end the selfish narrative that a crisis abroad is a crisis unconnected to us.
Emory students are privileged to choose from a number of educational paths that can prepare us for a lifetime of uplifting humanitarian efforts, including law, global health, international studies and more. For the ambitious pre-health students who dream of curing illnesses or solving the most pressing public health challenges, without advocating for Sudan today, it is difficult to envision how students can truly excel as the healthcare professionals of tomorrow in a field that demands global awareness and compassion for the world’s most vulnerable populations. It is our duty to take advantage of these relevant resources and become professionals that advocate for and achieve tangible change in tackling the misallocation of funding and advancing humanitarian efforts in the United States and abroad.
Engaging with organizations like Emory for Sudan is an optimal start for students to engage in discourse with other Sudanese activists in the Atlanta area. But, as the humanitarian crisis in Sudan continues to deteriorate, we must prioritize our efforts on pressuring lawmakers and international organizations to restore foreign aid. This will ensure the continuation of programs essential for a nation whose suffering Western geopolitical concerns have overshadowed.
Contact Yasmeen Mannan at ymannan@emory.edu
