Into Africa (CSIS)
Episode: Emergency Response Rooms and Collective Action in Sudan
Date: April 9, 2026
Host: Catherine Zucki, Associate Fellow, CSIS Africa Program
Guests:
- Noman Moussa, PhD Student in Political Science, UCLA
- Yasir Zaydan, Adjunct Lecturer, Seattle University & PhD Student, University of Washington
Episode Overview
This episode examines the critical, community-led humanitarian efforts in Sudan known as Emergency Response Rooms (ERRs). The discussion focuses on how Sudanese youth, both within the country and in the diaspora, have filled life-saving gaps left by international aid organizations during the current conflict. With a focus on collective action rooted in Sudan’s tradition of nafir, the conversation explores the ERRs’ daily work, evolving neutrality, the fractured political landscape following revolution and war, and what solutions—local and international—are possible.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. What Are Emergency Response Rooms? (ERRs)
[00:29–02:22]
- ERRs are grassroots, volunteer-led mutual aid groups operating across Sudan, particularly in displacement camps and conflict-affected neighborhoods.
- Volunteers, mostly youth, provide food, medicine, shelter, and other essentials.
“An average day would probably entail making the food primarily in a local kitchen...and then working on distributing it for the rest of the day...” (Noman, 02:22)
- Activities and focus areas shift based on local needs and phases of the conflict (food, medicine, shelter, etc.).
- ERRs’ flexibility and adaptability are highlighted as vital in the context of Sudan’s unstable environment.
2. Regional Variations and Challenges
[03:21–05:02]
- Work differs by region and control: both military and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) demand neutrality and logistical savvy.
- Securing permits, getting supplies through checkpoints, and negotiating with local armed actors is critical.
- ERRs have maintained nonpartisanship to ensure continued access and service.
“Just recently they are being more cautious about involving in politics or...how they deal with each side. And I think that’s what made it possible...to continue providing services for the community.” (Yasir, 04:29)
3. Origins and Philosophy of Collective Action
[05:02–08:35]
- ERRs are descended from the neighborhood resistance committees that played a central role in protests against Omar al-Bashir.
- Sudan’s culture of nafir (communal mobilization) predates the conflict—long practiced during floods and crises.
- Neighborhood committees evolved from political activism to mutual aid in response to escalating war.
“After the protests erupted in 2019, they became more dominant, more active and responding to the current circumstances...the energy was mobilized from protesting to community service.” (Noman, 06:26)
- Nafir embodies both the practical and philosophical basis for collective agency in Sudan and is comparable to philosophies like ubuntu (South Africa) or tugiema (East Africa).
4. The Interplay of Politics and Humanitarianism
[08:35–10:54]
- Pre-war neighborhood committees were overtly political, aiming for democratization; post-war, mutual aid has taken precedence.
- Neighborhood committees responded to chaos by focusing on survival—water, food, and healthcare—while sidelining overt politics to preserve access and protect volunteers.
- Some groups retained political aims or even took up arms; others embraced purely humanitarian functions.
“For the majority...they kind of like bypassed that confusing moment by just naturally answering to the needs of their local communities.” (Yasir, 10:28)
5. Divisions and Identities in the Revolution’s Aftermath
[10:54–16:40]
- The conflict has fractured the youth movement, which was once united during protests against Bashir.
- There’s been a shift from ideological/political divisions to ones grounded in ethnicity and tribal identity, intensifying polarization.
“After the war erupted...we immediately noticed the increase of the salience of ethnic identities and regional cleavages coming to the forefront...” (Noman, 12:34)
- Now, “civilians” as a distinct category are, in practice, politically and militarily aligned or marginalized.
- The sense of revolutionary unity has dissipated as the conflict’s stakes rose and war became existential for many communities.
6. War’s Human Cost & the Dissonance with International Discourse
[16:40–20:23]
- International perspectives (esp. in Western capitals) are often out of sync with reality on the ground; survivors prioritize security and daily survival over abstract political ideals.
- Aid and democratic discourse feel distant to displaced Sudanese youth and general population.
“These people don’t think about civilians or democracy or democratization. They only want their a home, they want security, they want food.” (Yasir, 18:57)
7. Pathways to Ending the War
[21:29–29:46]
- The solution must address the deeply militarized political environment and entrenched local grievances.
- Three tiers of conflict drivers:
- Direct conflict between military and RSF
- Regional powers backing different sides
- Local/tribal antagonisms, often overlooked but most damaging
- Lasting peace requires:
- Regional actors (like UAE, Egypt, Ethiopia) agreeing to de-escalate involvement
- Real military and political reforms to eliminate ethnically-aligned armed groups
- Broad, inclusive local reconciliation to address trauma and grievances
“Unless we are able to untangle violence from politics, we’re going to see this constant recurrence of conflict...” (Noman, 21:33)
“If we can...break...the Dagalu family, which I think are not representative of the Arab people of Darfur...That’s the way forward.” (Yasir, 26:09)
8. The Role of the International Community
[29:46–38:28]
- Sudan’s war is highly internationalized; current conflict “is no longer an African war.”
- International engagement must avoid quick-fix agreements and instead focus on real reforms and accountability for war crimes.
- Regional and international actors like the UAE have fueled the violence. Without accountability and leverage over these backers, war will continue.
- Western diplomats lack historical and cultural context; “band-aid” solutions won’t work.
“The international community shouldn’t pressure them to come to sign an agreement just so...they could say we ended a conflict...That conflict could, like, re-erupt before even the ink dries off the paper.” (Noman, 34:32)
9. Sudanese Resilience and the Future of Mutual Aid
[38:28–47:07]
- ERRs fill the gap left by receding international aid and represent a model of youth-led, community-driven humanitarianism.
- Despite “donor fatigue,” ERRs show that Sudanese can sustain themselves through solidarity, but call for more training, easier financial flows, and technological support (e.g., satellite internet) from the diaspora and African partners.
“For four years, we learned that these young people could actually survive and...manage without any foreign support.” (Yasir, 41:41)
- ERRs seen as potentially replicable, but success depends on local cultural foundations of solidarity.
- The polarization among Sudanese diaspora mirrors those on the ground, with intense debate over the moral equivalence between military and RSF.
Notable Quotes
-
On Daily Life of ERR Volunteers
“Making the food primarily in a local kitchen...then working on distributing it for the rest of the day..."
— Noman, 02:22 -
On Nonpartisanship as Survival
“Just recently they are being more cautious about involving in politics...that’s what made it possible for them to continue providing services...”
— Yasir, 04:29 -
On the Legacy of Collective Action
“This nafir started to have more political shape during the protests in 2019...then after the uprising and the transitional government, it became like a building block for democratization.”
— Yasir, 07:23 -
On Lost Revolutionary Unity
“The moment also necessarily that they will kind of put aside politics...It was a necessity of the time.”
— Yasir, 10:45 -
On the Shift to Ethnic Divides
“We immediately noticed the increase of the salience of ethnic identities and regional cleavages coming to the forefront of the conflict.”
— Noman, 12:34 -
On Humanitarian Motivation Over Politics
“These people don’t think about civilians or democracy...they only want their a home, they want security, they want food.”
— Yasir, 18:57 -
On the Limits of International Solutions
“The international community shouldn’t pressure them to come to sign an agreement just so that they could say we ended a conflict...That conflict could, like, re-erupt before even the ink dries off the paper.”
— Noman, 34:32 -
On ERRs as an African Model
“What we learned is that the resilience of them, their continuation of support is something that I think will continue despite international efforts...We can still make some room for these solutions to grow.”
— Yasir, 42:30 -
On Scaling Mutual Aid
“Yes, while it is feasible in theory, but in practice, you need to have the cultural support for it to succeed.”
— Noman, 46:59
Timestamps for Key Segments
- 00:29 – Introduction to ERRs and history of youth-led mutual aid
- 05:25 – ERRs’ origins and the tradition of nafir
- 08:35 – Transition from political activism to humanitarian focus
- 12:34 – Fragmentation and identity politics among Sudanese youth
- 18:57 – Disconnect between international discourse and needs on the ground
- 21:29 – Analysis: What will it take to end the war?
- 29:46 – The internationalization of Sudan’s war and role of external actors
- 38:28 – ERRs filling the humanitarian gap and reflections on “donor fatigue”
- 43:33 – Are ERRs a model for Africa? Importance of cultural roots of solidarity
Conclusion
This episode provides an in-depth look at how young Sudanese have harnessed traditions of mutual aid to face catastrophe, even as the collapse of state and international systems leaves them on their own. Through candid exchanges, Noman and Yasir capture the complexity, resilience, and urgent needs of Sudan’s society—reminding listeners that, despite donor fatigue and political cynicism globally, local agency continues to shape survival and hope.