Sudan between war and peace: the role of humanitarian organizations

On 16/05, the event "Sudan between war and peace: the role of humanitarian organizations" took place at the now well-known location at 13 A/B Via Cesare Fracassini, Rome. The strong and enduring synergy and communion of values between Welcome Association Italy and the Italian-Arab  Association Assadakah provided a context and pretext to discuss and analyze the current situation in Sudan, a country in sub-Saharan Africa infamous for the conflicts that tears it apart. The success of the event is certainly due to the prominent personalities that Welcome Association Italy and Assadakah invited as top speakers:

• E. Sayed Altayeb Ahmed, Sudan's ambassador to Italy;
• Antonella Napoli, writer and Editor-in-Chief of Focus on Africa;
• Giorgia Girometti, Communications Consultant and member of the Board for Medici Senza Frontiere Italy;
• E. Bruno Scapini, diplomat and writer;
• Franco Abdelkader Omeich, President of Assadakah.

Opening the meeting there were greetings from the Vice-Secretary of Welcome Association Italy, Carlo Palumbo, who introduced the theme and speakers, along with Talal Khrais, Assadakah's International Relations office manager. The speakers, meticulously informed on the country and its conflicts, traced Sudan's history from its independence to the present day, reporting on how the country cannot find peace. The speech by His Excellency, Sudanese Ambassador to Italy Sayeb Altayeb Ahmed, not only raised the awareness of the audience, but also attracted much interest by virtue of diplomatic and personal integrations. His Excellency shared his perspective on the international dynamics and actors orbiting and determining the Sudanese situation, pointing out that the poor media coverage of the conflict reflects the lack of interest at the diplomatic level in resolving the sub-Saharan country's institutional, health and social crisis. Following the speeches there was a short Q&A session involving the entire panel. The great participation was manifested in a long series of questions that were reflected in the words of the speakers, who were exhaustive in their answers. The event attracted interest from the wide audience, which included representatives of associations, communities, diplomatic corps, and journalists. Prominent personalities included Anna Spencer, public relations manager of UCAI, Union of African Communities of Italy; Anas Al Hayani, counselor at the Iraqi Embassy in Italy; and Zenaib Ismail, chairwoman of the administrative council of the Al Huda Mosque in Rome. The large attendance remarked how the Sudanese cause, in spite of absent national and international media coverage, is very close to the heart of the Italian associational and journalistic context.