Photoville 2026: Surviving tomorrow

Bearing witness to the invisible war in Sudan

The war in Sudan has created the largest humanitarian emergency in the world. Since it started in April 2023, the war has uprooted more than 14 million people and has dismantled essential services people rely on, including health care, access to food, and basic safety. Yet despite the great needs, Sudan has received little international attention.

In July 2025, photojournalist Moises Saman joined Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) teams in West Darfur, Sudan, and in eastern Chad to shed light on the war’s impact on people. The images he captured show profound heartbreak and loss — but they also illuminate the solidarity, strength, and endurance of Sudanese communities struggling to survive each day.

"For much of my career, I was drawn to moments of rupture, the visible markers of conflict that make headlines and shape our understanding of war. But over time, I’ve found myself returning less to the event itself, and more to what unfolds in its aftermath: the quiet, often invisible ways in which people endure, adapt, and continue. This work is not about the spectacle of violence, but about its residue — how it settles into daily life, into memory, into the fragile and ongoing search for home."

— Moises Saman, photographer

Saman’s photography will be showcased in “Surviving tomorrow: Bearing witness to the invisible war in Sudan,” an exhibition at the annual Photoville Festival from May 16 – 30 in New York City.

RSVP for the event and learn more here >

The view from inside an MSF vehicle as it approaches the outskirts of Adré refugee camp. | Chad 2025 © Moises Saman/Magnum Photos

A mother sits with her malnourished child under a mosquito net in the malnutrition ward of an MSF clinic in Adré, Chad. — A mother sits with her malnourished child under a mosquito net in the malnutrition ward of an MSF clinic in Adré. | Chad 2025 © Moises Saman/Magnum Photos

Two Sudanese boys rest on a rocky hill overlooking the vast sprawl of Aboutengue refugee camp, home to tens of thousands who fled ethnic violence in Sudan's West Darfur region. — Boys rest on a rocky hill overlooking the vast sprawl of Aboutengue refugee camp. | Chad 2025 © Moises Saman/Magnum Photos

Families from Khartoum gather at an orphanage that has turned into a camp for displaced people in El Geneina, West Darfur. MSF distributes tarps and other supplies to help people endure the rainy season, especially those living in makeshift shelters. — Families from Khartoum gather at an orphanage that has turned into a camp for displaced people in El Geneina, West Darfur. | Sudan 2025 © Moises Saman/Magnum Photos

A displaced family sheltering in a classroom on the outskirts of El Geneina, Sudan. — Across Darfur, schools once filled with children have become shelters for those uprooted by the Sudanese civil war. | Sudan 2025 © Moises Saman/Magnum Photos

Refugees gather at a water distribution point in Adré camp, where access to clean water remains one of the most urgent needs. | Chad 2025 © Moises Saman/Magnum Photos

Families wait inside El Geneina Teaching Hospital, one of the few public hospitals still functioning in West Darfur, Sudan. — Families wait inside El Geneina Teaching Hospital, one of the few public hospitals still functioning in West Darfur. | Sudan 2025 © Moises Saman/Magnum Photos

Hawa lies in recovery after losing her leg when she was caught in the crossfire during clashes. | Sudan 2025 © Moises Saman/Magnum Photos

Sudanese boys play on a wooden cart in Adré refugee camp, Chad. — Sudanese boys play on a wooden cart in Adré refugee camp. With limited schools and resources, children often invent their own games to cope with life in displacement. | Chad 2025 © Moises Saman/Magnum Photos

Family members comfort Nazia Suleiman, 22, after she delivered a stillborn baby and underwent surgery for complications at the MSF-supported El Geneina Teaching Hospital in Sudan. — Family members comfort a woman after she delivered a stillborn baby and underwent surgery for complications at El Geneina Teaching Hospital. | Sudan 2025 © Moises Saman/Magnum Photos

MSF physician from El Geneina, West Darfur

Dr. Maysaa Haroun

In March 2023, I traveled to Khartoum to spend Ramadan and Eid with my family, and to start German language classes at an institute.

Less than two months later, on a Saturday, the war began.

Around noon, during class, we heard the first explosion. Fighter jets screamed overhead. One of my brothers called, urging me to come home, but the bridge was closed. I broke my fast with strangers that night, then took shelter at a friend’s home along with other young women stranded by the fighting.

I thought it would be over in two days. But the violence only worsened.

[Eventually], with two other women, I decided to leave Sudan. My friend Asmaa had been recruited to a hospital in Chad, so I joined her.

The journey from Omdurman to Abéché, Chad, took 11 days. We crossed the desert in the winter cold, carrying water, biscuits, and our credentials strapped to our bodies alongside emergency contraception and post-exposure prophylaxis — precautions in case we were attacked. Most women never attempt this route.

We joined three men traveling toward Nyala via Chad. For five nights, we slept on opposite sides of a truck under thin blankets, the desert wind cutting through us. In Malit, near El Fasher, I stayed with relatives for a short rest before continuing to the Chadian border. One night, too tired to move, I lay under a blanket beside our vehicle and felt something press against me: a small dog, shivering, for warmth. I let it stay.

This journey was long and full of fear, but survival left us no other choice. There are no winners in wars, only losers.

MSF activities in El Geneina, West Darfur

Sudan 2025 © Moises Saman/Magnum Photos

Displaced in El Geneina, West Darfur

Khadija*

When I was still in Khartoum, I was eight months pregnant and preparing for delivery. Because of complications, I needed a cesarean section.

The doctor following my pregnancy was working in a small house rather than a hospital. He had been targeted by armed groups known for abducting doctors for ransom. He worked in secrecy, underground. One room served as the operating theater, the other for inpatients. The surgery was complicated. I lost a lot of blood and suffered internal bleeding. My child lived for less than 24 hours.

Six days later, fighting erupted near our home. We fled with nothing, not even clothes or possessions.

The road was long and dangerous. My [cesarean section] wound was not healing. My sister cleaned it daily with water and salt. It took 27 days to reach Nyala, the capital of South Darfur. There, a doctor told me the original stitching had been poorly done. He cleaned the wound and treated the infection.

Because of insecurity in Nyala, we continued to El Geneina. Here, it is safer, but life is still very hard. We left Khartoum with nothing. Our house there has been completely looted. Friends told us that another family has occupied it, changed the ownership papers, and now claims we bought it illegally. Even if the war ends, we cannot go back.

I have two daughters and two sons. I was married at 13. Now, with no home, no possessions, and no money, our future is uncertain. We don't know what will happen next.

*name changed for security reasons