Source: Christian Science Monitor
by staff
“In Sudan, an East African nation where a civil war has entered its third year, volunteers are heeding a traditional concept rooted in Islam (nafeer) to bring succor and practical support to those displaced by fighting. They are operating communal kitchens and emergency shelters, providing safe spaces for children to learn and play, and arranging evacuations from areas under bombardment. At some point, their example might even help inform negotiations to end a war that has caused an estimated 150,000 deaths and displaced some 12 million Sudanese. These citizen-supported ’emergency response rooms’, as they are called, are not new. For centuries, through collective action in local communities, Sudanese have helped one another build homes, bring in a harvest, and cope with natural disasters. The first mass-organized nafeer campaign was formed in 2013 in response to severe flooding.” (05/20/25)
https://www.csmonitor.com/Commentary/the-monitors-view/2025/0520/Compassion-tempers-a-war-s-impact