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Sudan — Narrowly escaping death

25:04

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August 17, 2026

For over three years, Sudan has been caught up in a devastating civil war. Both the Sudanese Armed Forces and their opponents, the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), have been accused of committing war crimes.

It's the world's worst humanitarian crisis. Millions of Sudanese have been forced to flee their homes; hundreds of thousands have lost their lives. The RSF's capture of the city of El-Fasher in the Darfur region in October 2025 marked one of the bloodiest chapters in this ongoing conflict. In just a few weeks, the militias are believed to have massacred over 60-thousand residents. A few of the survivors that managed to flee tell their stories in this documentary. They recount the atrocities: rapes, murders, bombardments, hunger and the death march to the displacement camp. Sudan's civil war would likely have ended already if both sides weren't being backed by foreign powers. The RSF has the support of the United Arab Emirates, who are thought to be providing its fighters with military assistance. Meanwhile, Egypt is supplying the Sudanese army with money and weapons, as are Iran and Russia. In El-Obeid— a city held by Sudan's military but increasingly under attack by the RSF — fears of a repeat of the bloodshed seen in El-Fasher are rising. Those who can are boarding buses or trucks bound for the capital, Khartoum, despite having little hope of receiving international aid. Sudan is among the countries worst affected by US President Donald Trump's foreign aid cuts.

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Close up — The Current Affairs Documentary

Our weekly half-hour program delivers in-depth reporting on topical political issues and newsworthy events. Revealing the story behind the stories, Close Up is informative, gripping and visually powerful.

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