# You Could See The Blood From Space: Sudan Genocide Explained | Sh. Ammar AlShukry

**Author:** Sh. Ammar Alshukry
**Series:** Explained
**Published:** 2026-04-13
**YouTube:** https://youtu.be/DZUBoarvXak
**URL:** https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/explained/sudan-genocide-explained
**Topics:** History, Politics & Practical Theology, Social Justice

## Description
If you don’t know what’s happening in Sudan, this video is for you. The Sudan genocide started on April 15, 2023, and three years later the situation has only gotten worse. The genocide is being hidden behind words like “civil war” and “conflict”, downplayed by the media, ignored by world leaders,...

## Summary
Sheikh Ammar AlShukry recounts his visit to Sudan in January, three years into a devastating war, describing it as marked by both immense suffering and remarkable resilience. He introduces heroes like Dr. Yasir Jabra, who left a lucrative American salary to serve Sudanese patients for a fraction of the pay, and Dr. Safat Yousif, who runs a massive maternity hospital and refused to abandon her patients during occupation. The World Health Organization calls Sudan's crisis the world's worst humanitarian disaster, with a child dying every three hours from starvation, 34 million needing aid, over 150,000 dead, and 13.6 million displaced. The speaker traces the conflict's roots: the 2019 revolution that overthrew dictator Umar al-Bashir, the RSF's massacre of protesters that same year, a military coup in 2021, and the eventual collapse into full-scale war in April 2023 between the army and the RSF, led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo. He argues this is not merely a civil war but a genocide fueled by regional actors seeking to exploit Sudan's resources, including gold mines. Despite shelled hospitals and atrocities, including sexual violence against girls, there are signs of hope, such as the reopening of Bahri hospital through Muslim-led reconstruction efforts, which has allowed displaced families to consider returning home. The speaker emphasizes that Sudanese people are not passive victims but exemplify sabr (patience), sacrifice, and zuhd (detachment from worldly life). He closes with a call to action: amplify Sudanese voices and journalists, support humanitarian organizations, demand political accountability and sanctions on RSF backers, use economic influence through boycotts, and make du'a, while also taking concrete action to help Sudan.

## Key Takeaways
- Three years into the war that began in April 2023, Sudan faces what the World Health Organization calls the world's worst humanitarian crisis. Nearly 34 million people need humanitarian aid, more than 13.6 million have been displaced in the largest displacement crisis in the world, over 150,000 are estimated dead, a third of health facilities are nonfunctional, and a child dies every three hours from starvation in a land otherwise rich in agricultural resources.
- The roots of the war lie in Sudan's interrupted path to civilian rule. The 2019 revolution that overthrew the dictator al-Bashir gave way to a massacre of protesters by the Rapid Support Forces, a military takeover in 2021, and the eventual collapse of negotiations between the army and the RSF, whose leader rose through the militias responsible for the Darfur genocide and now controls gold mines worth billions. The conflict is framed not simply as a civil war but as a genocide fueled by outside actors profiting from Sudan's resources.
- Amid the devastation, the Sudanese emerge not as passive victims but as people of courage and faith, embodied by doctors who gave up far greater salaries abroad to serve and refused to abandon their patients under occupation. Concrete hope is visible in efforts like the reopening of Bahi Hospital, reconstructed after being shelled. Muslims are urged to respond by amplifying Sudanese voices, supporting humanitarian aid, demanding political accountability, using their economic weight, and making sincere duʿaʾ.

## Transcript
**[0:00]** I had a chance to go to Sudan this past January and just touching down in Sudan after three years and not being able to go because of the war left me in tears. Sudan is filled with resilient heroes. I met Dr. Yasir Jabra, a man who'd be making a salary of $400,000 if he was working in America

**[0:19]** as an ER doctor and he gave that up to earn just $200 a month serving patients in Sudan for three years. A country facing what the World Health Organization calls the world's worst humanitarian crisis on earth where a child dies every three hours from starvation in a land

**[0:34]** that is rich with agricultural resources while preventable diseases like cholera, the measles, malaria and dengue fever spread across displaced tent-dwelling families where doctors treat young girls who've gone through unspeakable sexual violence without anesthesia, without proper tools,

**[0:52]** under the threat of armed groups. Almost 34 million need humanitarian aid. More than a third of health care facilities are non-functional. Over 150,000 are estimated to be dead. April 15th marks three years since the war in Sudan began. For three years we didn't return to our homeland.

**[1:10]** For three years we didn't get to see our families. In these three years 13.6 million people have been displaced making Sudan the largest displacement crisis in the world. How did we get here? To understand this war you have to go back. In 2019 a revolution overthrew the dictator

**[1:29]** Umar al-Bashir after 30 years in power. The world watched as thousands gathered in Khartoum calling for freedom. There was real hope that Sudan could finally build something better. But on June 3rd 2019 that hope was shattered. In Ramadan the rapid support forces, the RSF, massacred over 100

**[1:47]** protesters. A friend told me that day the sky doesn't look the same anymore. It was the first time such violence would happen in the capital. Khartoum was no longer safe. A transitional council was formed but in October 2021 the military overthrew the civilian prime minister

**[2:04]** and for 18 months the army and the RSF wrestled for power. The RSF is led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo a man who rose through the Janjaweed militias during the Darfur genocide of 20 years ago and now controls gold mines worth billions. By April 2023 negotiations collapsed. Khartoum woke up to

**[2:25]** heavy artillery and gunfire. This didn't happen in a vacuum. Negative state actors in the region have been taking advantage of the fragility of the Sudanese state to launch a proxy war that will allow for them to usurp Sudan's resources. Call things by their proper names. This is not

**[2:43]** a civil war. This is genocide enabled by those profiting from Sudan's resources. When the ground met my feet after three long years I couldn't help but break down. Another hero I met was Dr. Safat Yousif who runs the largest maternity hospital in Sudan delivering 130 babies a day.

**[3:00]** When the RSF shells hospitals it belies their claim that they're seeking to rule over Sudan because why would you destroy the infrastructure of the society you're actually trying to govern? She refused to leave and stayed in the care of her patients throughout the occupation. There is incredible resilience and hope in Sudan. We attended the opening of Bahri hospital. Bahri

**[3:20]** hospital was shelled by the RSF. By early 2026 Bahri hospital had reopened after extensive reconstruction and renovation efforts spearheaded by Muslim-led organizations in the United States. When we did the reopening the community was incredibly happy. People were saying that now

**[3:38]** that they have health care again our families will be able to return, our neighborhoods will be able to return. The hospital brings life back to the community. Not only that, people were saying the hospital now looks even better and is more equipped than it was before the war. The Sudanese people

**[3:54]** are not passive victims. They are people of incredible courage, of sabr, of sacrifice, of zuhd and belief in Allah. There's a real sense of hope that Sudan can come back stronger and maybe even better than it was before. But they can't do it alone. We can't do it alone. Three years in,

**[4:11]** international attention has faded while the crisis deepens. You see it on your feed and keep scrolling, swallowing the guilt, the tents, the rib cages of children, the violence against girls, the fall of al-Fashir last October when blood could be seen from satellite images in space.

**[4:28]** So what will you do about it? First, amplify Sudanese voices. Share their stories. Follow Sudanese journalists reporting from the ground at great personal risk. Pressure media outlets to cover this. We forced the world to pay attention to Palestine. We can do the same for Sudan. Not the same crisis but the same tool, attention. Second, support humanitarian organizations delivering food,

**[4:48]** medicine and safe passage. Every dollar can be the difference between life and death. Giving your wealth will only increase your rizq. Third, demand political accountability. Contact your representatives and demand sanctions on those arming the RSF. Call out US complicity. Fourth,

**[5:04]** use your economic weight. Where you spend is where you stand. Refuse to finance systems that sustain this violence. Boycott goods. Change travel plans. And fifth, make du'a. Du'a is the weapon of the believer. Your tahajjud has a power you can't see because that power belongs to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

**[5:20]** But remember, du'a though is of the greatest of actions, we also roll up our sleeves and go to work. Three years of war, the world's worst humanitarian crisis, but also three years of unbreakable resilience from the Sudanese people. So don't forget about Sudan. Don't let the world

**[5:38]** forget about Sudan.

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