The effects of war on Sudan’s youth: A lost generation
The war has left Sudan’s youth with limited options. Caught between violence, unemployment, disrupted education, and mental trauma, the opportunity to help rebuild their country is being taken away from them. Sudan now faces the risk of losing the potential of an entire generation.
Sudan, like many African nations, is a young country. As of 2023, 61.3% of its population is under the age of 25, according to the World Bank. Driven by a desire for peace, freedom, and justice, Sudan’s youth have played a crucial role in the country's defining moments. Yet, the youth revolutionary movement has been marginalized and excluded from the post-revolutionary political processes they fought for. Now, the war has added a new layer of exclusion, one that not only disrupts their present but threatens their future - posing an existential threat.
Searching for ways to process the effects of war myself, I have interviewed young men and women from different backgrounds about how the war has affected their lives. In these conversations, a recurring theme has emerged: A sense of being cut off, not just from education or employment, but from the possibility of contributing to rebuilding their country. Closed schools and universities, the collapse of job markets and the loss of income-generating opportunities. They are effectively locked out of the systems that could allow them to make a difference. This adds to the mental burden of living in and with war. The barriers Sudanese youth are facing, be it educational, economic or psychological, are interlocked and form a cycle of disempowerment that has caused a mental health crisis of unprecedented proportions and threatens to sideline an entire generation.
From bad to worse: War-induced unemployment
'I lost my job, which was my only source of income. Now, I'm a refugee in the Gulf countries; I'm a chemical engineer, but after losing my job, I have worked as a construction technician to meet the minimum standard of living. There's no clear future, but we strive to survive and to repair what can be mended from our places of asylum, and distant exile.'
Young displaced man
It is hard enough to repair from exile. But it is even harder to contribute when you must be cautious about voicing your opinion. Even a comment on Facebook can send you to prison or have you expelled. The taming powers of Gulf security are weighing heavily on the youth who participated in political action during Sudan’s revolution. The silencing is just as palpable for the ones who do not have sufficient resources to go searching for a job in the Gulf. Keeping your mouth shut for the sake of securing an income is a dehumanizing and enslaving condition to find yourself in, having just a few years ago felt a sense of self-fulfillment and struggling for a common cause.
As such, the political sidelining cannot be disconnected from the war-induced economic crisis whose impact may be much easier to put into numbers. The young man now working in the Gulf is just one of countless others struggling to survive. Over 50% of Sudan’s workforce has lost their jobs or income. Businesses across sectors, including small and medium enterprises that are crucial to Sudan’s economy, have been crippled by infrastructural collapse. In cities like Khartoum, continued fighting has forced factories and companies to close, leaving a trail of unemployment. Industries such as agriculture, trade, and manufacturing, which were already struggling before the war, have seen dramatic declines, resulting in even higher unemployment rates. One of IMF's reports, analyzing the Sudanese economy in 2023 and 2024 as well as providing an estimate for 2025, described unemployment rates in Sudan as “alarming”. It stated that the unemployment rate reached 46% in 2023 and was expected to reach 58% at the end of 2024. It also expects similar levels in 2025, reaching 55.7% if the war stops, which means that the continuation of the war will lead to a greater increase in the number of unemployed individuals. Urban households report sharp declines in income, with many workers being furloughed or laid off.
Sudanese youth have long battled unemployment. Even before the war, unemployment prompted young people to move from rural areas to cities or to start their small-scale businesses in the informal sector. Although such efforts were never supported by the state - in fact the state frequently imposed obstacles - the war has further complicated the situation, reducing the available options for youth who have no choice left but to try to create their job in an informal sector that suffers under the enormous damage caused to Sudan’s infrastructure. More importantly; Sudan's youth always found a way to politically push back against these conditions, but now the war has stripped them from both the limited economic opportunities they used to have and the ability to organize to fight against these conditions. The culmination of these two factors is deeply felt among the youth.
Feeling defeated
During my conversations with young Sudanese men and women, they reflected on their wartime experiences and how their lives have been affected. One person, now residing in South Sudan, spoke about the overwhelming challenges they face while trying to build a new life: ‘Since the war erupted, I have faced many challenges, especially in finding a job or securing a sense of safety. Currently, I am a refugee in South Sudan, where obtaining a work permit is a necessary requirement for employment.’
These young men’s words highlight not only the logistical hurdles faced by many displaced persons but also a deep sense of uncertainty about if, when, or whether they will be able to return home. Both feel a great deal of frustration, as their lives abruptly changed from being active members of the resistance community, working together to create positive change, to facing an uncertain future and unknown plans. Their whole revolution was in a sense an attempt of reversing these trajectories of uncertainty and the gloomy picture painted by political dictatorship, corruption, and exploitation and revolt to recreate a country that would ensure these basic rights.
The demise of education
Everyone has their own story and experience of war. One of the master’s students I interviewed spoke of a profound sense of loss not just for herself, but for her country, as an entire generation is being denied the opportunity to contribute the knowledge and expertise that higher education provides.
'The war prevented me from attending the largest peace conference in Washington, D.C., which I had dreamt of participating in. I believed I needed to acquire new knowledge and meet distinguished experts from around the world to advance my career. Unfortunately, I missed the conference. The delay set back my progress on my master's thesis, costing me two years of hard work.’
Yet, despite the uncertainty, some youth remain determined to make a difference. Many have stepped in as volunteer teachers, eager to provide their support to young children in their communities. One of the interviewees dedicates her time to helping secondary school students and kids in her village: 'I'm trying to fill my time by supporting secondary school students, reviewing subjects with them, and teaching children. In addition to that, I'm trying to learn new things that can help me to improve my skills and to find a little income, such as handicrafts, and to make some home stuff from local materials.'
Female student
Mental health at risk
The prolonged conflict has caused enduring trauma for Sudanese youth. Anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and cognitive issues have spiked, increasing the risk of suicide across the country.
One of the young women I talked to told me that she struggled with severe depression during the early days of the war.
'I participated in therapy and joined emotional unloading sessions for coping. Now, two years into the conflict, I am grappling with significant neurosis and insulin resistance due to stress, overthinking, and disappointment. I have also begun to distance myself from a wonderful group focused on civil and humanitarian efforts aimed at ending the war and safeguarding civilians, becoming increasingly reclusive without a clear way forward. It appears that my only option is to learn to coexist with this situation since no other viable alternatives are available.'
Sudan's youth want to rebuild their country. But what are their chances of success when their education is disrupted, and they can’t make a living? Listening to all these young men and women talk about their experiences and the emotional and psychological difficulties they encounter, it is impossible not to be concerned. For them as individuals. For their communities. For their entire generation. One of the young men I spoke to evoked a particularly disturbing image. I’ll let his words conclude this text:
'The psychological toll of war stays with a person and is not easily washed away. The loss of loved ones has left us so broken and fearful that even the simplest things scare us, and death feels like a daily routine. We are trying to survive this time of war by treating it like a film, believing that one day it will come to an end.'
This blog post is written by Khadega Eldewehi, a Sudanese feminist, researcher, assistant, and women's rights activist, specialized in promoting gender equality and empowering women in the natural resources sector.
The series is the outcome of a SNAC workshop that brought together a large group of SNAC fellows and young Sudanese researchers and activists.
The views expressed in this post are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the SNAC project or CMI.
