'Whole bloodlines' have been lost in Sudan but the world isn't watching

Sudan's war is being labelled 'forgotten' even as atrocities are regularly committed Wed 17 Jun 2026 at 5:11pm Fourteen million people have been displaced, more than 33 million need humanitarian aid, at least 150,000 are dead and horrific atrocities and massacres occur frequently. Human rights groups have reported these statistics and say sexual violence has become part of daily life for women and girls. Those same groups have called Sudan a "forgotten war" while others say it's been neglected. "I'm referring to this as an abandoned crisis," Denise Brown, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan, told reporters in April. For Sudanese Australians the conflict may be thousands of kilometres away but it is also lighting up their phones and keeping them up at night. "It's heartbreaking. We don't sleep. We don't eat," Nidal Saeed told 7.30. Ms Saeed is now in Perth and frequently checks for updates from her cousin in Sudan, who has fled the fighting. "I love when I hear voice recordings because it just puts my heart at rest to hear his voice. But one day I could wake up and I could get nothing," Ms Saeed said. "Others have lost whole bloodlines, whole generations, and it's just something we are just expected to accept and move on with. It's very hard." "There's a lot of grief, a lot of heartbreak in our community right now, and we just feel like there's not enough focus, not enough awareness and attention. We've been overshadowed. We've been neglected." 'Stories of pure horror' The current conflict stems from a brutal power struggle between two former allies: Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the head of the Sudanese Armed Forces, and Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti, who commands the Rapid Support Forces. Civilians are caught in the middle. Both sides have been accused of committing war crimes — both sides deny those allegations. Journalists cannot get independent access to Sudan, but videos shared online paint a horrifying picture. A Reuters investigation found widespread evidence of RSF fighters killing unarmed people, as their commanders stood by. Reade Levinson spent months on this investigation, meeting survivors who made it across the border to Chad. "We spoke to a lot of people who described RSF killing indiscriminately men, women, and children,"Levinson said. "There was one story in particular that stuck out to me. One of the commanders, Abu Lulu, asking a pregnant woman how far along she was, and when she said seven months, they shot her in the stomach seven times. "Things like that, just stories of pure horror. "We heard many, many stories of rape from women and girls … including women who were pregnant or breastfeeding or had just given birth." 'We have hope' Back in Perth, Ms Saeed has organised an event to raise money for volunteer organisations on the ground. It is a celebration of culture, with food, fashion, art, and dancing — and a reminder of what Sudanese Australians are trying to preserve. "Events like these are so important for us and we believe that the more we showcase who we are and that we're present, we hope that that will open up the eyes of [the] international community and also the Australian government to do more for Sudanese Australians. "All of my life, all of my parents' life, Sudan has not seen rest... it's been decades and decades of unrest in a homeland which used to be the breadbasket of the world — rich in agriculture, rich in history, rich in warmth and love." "A lot of us came to Australia as refugees seeking a better life, seeking education, seeking safety and security, and we've lost our heritage." That heritage is on display when the music begins and a group of smiling women, dressed in bright patterns begin to dance. Community elder Khamis Tombe joins in the dancing, while another elder, Ahmed Gemaredhin, sits back to watch. This is a brief moment of relaxation for them. Mr Gemaredhin's siblings are all still stuck in Sudan and he fears for their safety. "They're expecting every minute to be attacked or something like that … and even here, every day, every second, you are expecting bad news," he told 7.30. Mr Tombe says his relatives are living in refugee camps in neighbouring countries, with limited access to food and water. "It's hell, nobody cares about them,"he said. "They just live their lives [for] God." The community here regularly send money back to help people still there but he says it's not enough. "The little they have, they always send to support their families back home. What about those who doesn't have their families? How will they live?" Mr Tombe says he hopes that the conflict can end soon but for that to happen the world needs to refocus on what is happening in Sudan. "We have hope," he said. "If the whole world supported us, peace is there. Peace is always there, but needs people to talk. Peace can't come without talking." Calls for more aid In terms of support, Australia has sent more than $60 million in humanitarian aid to Sudan since the conflict began in 2023. But that number represents a fraction of Australia's foreign aid budget for that same period, of more than $13 billion. The Refugee Council of Australia (RCOA) is calling for the government to do more. “There appears to be a lack of political will to match the level of human suffering," Adama Kamara, the Co-CEO of RCOA, told 7.30. “The government needs to add diplomatic pressure to the parties involved in the conflict ... so that humanitarian aid can get through ... but also to reach some sort of resolution, some sort of peace deal.” RCOA also wants Australia to increase its intake of refugees and make it easier for Sudanese people on temporary visas to become permanent residents. "We're calling for the Australian government to respond to the crisis in Sudan in the same way that they've responded to crisis in Ukraine, in Gaza, in Afghanistan,"Ms Kamara said. “People were given humanitarian stay visas and there were pathways for them to become permanent. This is in recognition of the fact that there's a conflict happening in Sudan and the UN has put advice out to say people should not be forced back to Sudan because it's not safe to return.” Watch 7.30, Mondays to Thursdays 7:30pm on ABC iview and ABC TV