As Sudan faces one of the worst humanitarian crises in its history, the ongoing war is met with global media neglect and a significant lack of documented information regarding war crimes and violations. In light of this gap, AJ+ Arabi launched the series “What is Happening in Sudan”, a digital documentary series that centers Sudanese voices and perspectives, ensuring that Sudanese people tell their own story. The series amplifies their experiences while also relying on precise journalistic documentation and User-Generated Content (UGC) sourced directly from Sudanese individuals. By doing so, it preserves crucial evidence of war crimes and ensures that the tragedy is documented through the eyes of those most affected.
At a time when global media attention is fleeting, this series stands as a testament to the power of mission-driven journalism and storytelling in shedding light on overlooked crises and human suffering. Over the course of three main episodes, the series intertwines firsthand storytelling from refugees and survivors with investigative documentation, making it one of the most vital digital sources preserving these crimes from being unseen and forgotten.
In collaboration with Sudanese cartoonist and activist Khalid Albaih, who has a large online following, the series presents a creative model that blends storytelling, journalistic documentation, and video art, making the Sudanese cause clearer and more impactful in the digital space.
What sets “What is Happening in Sudan?” apart is how it tells the story: by centering Sudanese voices, blending personal testimonies with exclusive filming from the field and open-source journalism, and using powerful visual storytelling to create a deep emotional connection with the audience. This distinctive approach transforms the series from a simple conveyance of information into an immersive experience, allowing viewers to feel and understand the realities faced by many Sudanese rather than merely observing them.. The audience is compelled to engage, participate, and ask:"How did I not know all this about Sudan? Why hasn’t the world cared about what’s happening there?"
This combination of firsthand accounts, historical context, and evocative storytelling transforms the series into more than just an informational piece—it becomes an emotional experience that lingers in the viewer’s mind. Each episode goes beyond traditional news narration, using rich visual descriptions to make the audience feel as though they are inside the events.
Episodes begin with a poignant scene—whether a live testimony, a painful image, or a shocking human story that reflects the magnitude of the disaster—before delving deeper into the background and causes.
The narrative structure is designed to keep the viewer emotionally engaged, fostering a connection between the audience and the Sudanese people through personal stories of survivors. Rather than merely presenting events, the series places viewers in the position of the victim, the displaced, the hungry, and the threatened, intensifying the human impact and deepening awareness of the extent of the suffering.
Given the scarcity of media coverage of the Sudanese crisis, it was crucial to not only fill this gap but also to find a way to connect with an audience that was largely focused on other global issues (such as Gaza and Lebanon) and other types of content . The challenge was twofold: the lack of mainstream media attention and the need to capture and sustain audience engagement on a topic that was being overshadowed. To address this, the series adopted a visually compelling, emotionally immersive, and interactive approach, designed specifically for social media and digital, young audiences across various platforms. By blending personal storytelling, striking visuals, and journalistic rigor, the content was crafted to break through the noise, ensuring that the Sudanese crisis was not just seen but deeply felt, creating a real and lasting impact.
Our strategy focused on:
● Humanizing the story of the war in Sudan: Instead of treating the war in Sudan as a news headline or reducing the number of victims and the affected to mere statistics, we showed the world that behind every victim number lies a human story, filled with pain and hope. We built an emotional connection with the viewers.
● Providing exclusive testimonies from Sudanese refugees, allowing them to launch direct pleas for help.
● Accurate journalistic documentation of leaked social media videos revealing war crimes, human rights violations, and systematic violence.
● Integrating video art and storytelling to make the content more appealing and impactful for the digital audience.
● Designing content to suit different platforms to ensure the widest reach possible.
Episodes
Episode 1: Before the Last Supper
This episode addresses the political and economic backgrounds that led to the war, documenting how international and local policies were catalysts for the situation to explode.
Episode 2: Deadly Nightmares
This episode documents the war crimes and human rights violations, presenting real footage captured from inside Sudan.
● Journalistic Documentation of Digital Content: We verified leaked social media videos showing the use of starvation as a weapon, sexual violence, looting, and child soldier recruitment.
Episode 3: Between Displacement and Refuge
This episode delves into the plight of Sudanese refugees and internally displaced persons, both within Sudan and abroad.
● Exclusive Testimonies: Sudanese refugees in Chad, Libya, and Ethiopia describe the details of their death journeys. Pleas for Help: Real voices calling for assistance, speaking about the discrimination and violence they face in refugee camps.
● Exclusive Testimonies: Survivors of violence, victims whose homes were looted and who faced persecution, share their stories for the first time.
Distribution Across Digital Platforms
● 3 main long episodes (15 minutes): Published on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and the AJ 360 (Al Jazeera VOD).
● 10 short episodes (2-3 minutes): Published on TikTok and Instagram to appeal to a younger social media audience.
● 6 digital albums (Carousels): Summarizing key information, suitable for quick sharing and interaction.
The testimonies of war crime victims in Sudan were documented and their voices were heard by the world. For example, in the 3rd episode, we got access to exclusive videos for Sudanese refugees in Ethiopia talking about violations committed against them and launching direct pleas for help, and this is a significant strength, as these refugees stranded in
the forests of Ethiopia are extremely difficult to reach and to document their suffering in the media. One of the most significant achievements of the series is that it introduced the Arab audiences on social media and digital platforms to many aspects of the forgotten tragedy of Sudan, the level of awareness about the war in Sudan increased, and the issue became a trending topic on social media on several occasions, and sparking widespread interest in similar, underreported global issues. Many comments highlighted how the series inspired viewers to demand more coverage of neglected crises, with one comment expressing:
"Exceptional presentation and narration... How tragic for Sudan and its people, I didn’t know that Sudan has never had peace since its independence... O Allah, have mercy on the people of Sudan, the people of Gaza, and all the oppressed around the world. I wish AJ+ would produce similar episodes for Yemen, Lebanon, Iraq, Djibouti, and Somalia, so we can hear the full story from the people on the ground... Grateful ❤"
Numbers and Results
● Total views across all platforms 27.2M
● Total engagements 401K