Marhaba,

This is the 47th issue of Atar English, published by the Sudan Facts Center for Journalism. It reaches you every two weeks, bringing reporting from across Sudan.

Throughout this issue, one theme dominates, serving as both promise and threat: that of self-sufficiency. In an age in which institutions are weakened and public services are failing to deliver, individuals and communities are increasingly forced to turn to themselves. And in that, they might discover a route to both solidarity and innovation. Or, in bleaker times, they might be forced into choices that are governed by necessity, not liberty.

Our investigation into the exploitation of Sudanese refugees in Egypt shows one of the bleaker aspects of this phenomenon. In an environment in which they have been dispossessed by war, and in which living conditions are becoming increasingly unaffordable, some of those refugees have turned to organ-harvesting rings that promise to deliver them from financial hardship. And in that, the discourse of survival replaces the discourse of rights. What might be perceived as an individual choice is, in fact, the product of structural vulnerability, in which survival itself becomes commodified.

Elsewhere in this issue, self-reliance appears in a far more hopeful form. In Blue Nile, farmers are conducting experiments with new crops, new irrigation techniques, and new knowledge of agriculture as a way of transforming the land into something new. Their aim here is not simply to produce more, but to produce less dependent on external markets and to produce a certain level of self-sufficiency for the region.

A similar sense of self-reliance through collective adaptation can be seen in Al-Nahda camp near Atbara, where families are attempting to build new levels of stability after long journeys of displacement. Volunteer activities, shared meals, and cooperation are creating new levels of support within the camp. In the face of insufficient support, solidarity itself becomes self-reliance.

Yet at the same time, these same forces of resilience also cause destruction. As an example, our investigation into the destruction of the Al-Sunut forest in the state of Khartoum will illustrate how environmental degradation can be the result of self-sufficiency. Using satellite imaging, our investigation found that the degradation of the Al-Sunut forest was not the result of the fighting but came later as economic conditions worsened, and people resorted to cutting trees to use as fuel and to earn money. In this sense, the destruction of the Al-Sunut forest was the result of another face of self-sufficiency, one that was brought into being as a result of necessity but at the cost of long-term degradation.

The political struggle unfolding within the Al-Jazirah Scheme reflects yet another dimension of the same theme. The contest over farmers’ associations is not simply about representation. It is also about control over the institutions that will determine how farmers organize themselves and defend their interests at a time when state authority remains fragile.

Lastly, the price bulletin included in this issue provides a glimpse into the economic context in which all these stories take place. The increasing fuel costs, food price volatility, and unstable markets are all significant factors in the daily calculations of Sudanese households.

Atar Editorial Team