Omima Jabal on Sudan’s Grassroots Humanitarian Response: ERR, USAID Cuts, and the Fight Against Misinformation
Author(s): Scott Douglas Jacobsen
Publication (Outlet/Website): A Further Inquiry
Publication Date (yyyy/mm/dd): 2025/08/22
Part 2 of 2
Omima Jabal, a Sudanese humanitarian, volunteer in the Emergency Response Room (ERR), a grassroots initiative providing critical aid during the war between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Initially focused on disaster relief, ERR expanded its work in response to the war, providing food distribution, medical aid, and civilian protection while maintaining neutrality. In this 2-part interview, Jabal explains that USAID funding cuts have severely impacted local civil society organizations, forcing projects to freeze and depriving communities of essential food, medical care, and protection. This shortage intensifies resource scarcity, conflict, and human rights abuses. Despite challenges, grassroots and women-led groups continue coordinating aid and advocating for flexible international funding. Jabal calls for urgent policy changes to ensure humanitarian assistance reaches vulnerable Sudanese communities and supports local initiatives amid instability.
Scott Douglas Jacobsen: Large clusters of international organizations operate in crisis zones. These organizations can be massive and well-funded, but their size sometimes makes them inefficient for rapid response.
They tend to be comprehensive and bold in their approaches, but are there any initiatives focusing on smaller, more agile groups—such as small cohorts of organizations working together instead of large networks? Would such a model be more responsive to the localized needs of the Sudanese people who are most affected?
Omima Jabal: That’s right. Some smaller mechanisms do exist.
For example, UNICEF has worked in Sudan since the crisis began, focusing on aid, education, and substitution programs.
The World Food Programme (WFP) is also active. However, as I mentioned, one of the biggest challenges is that these large international organizations do not cover all parts of Sudan or engage the community at planning levels.
For instance, in the beginning, UNICEF operated only in the government-controlled zones controlled by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF). Other areas were inaccessible, and UNICEF had no mechanism to work with them.
Later, UNICEF began collaborating with grassroots groups, which was an effective approach. Working through national organizations alongside grassroots groups demonstrated real impact. However, UNICEF has not yet engaged directly with grassroots groups to develop a tailored intervention strategy using smaller, more localized clusters.
The same is true for WFP. Due to the mandates and policies they follow, they face similar limitations. I previously emphasized that international organizations must improve coordination mechanisms within crisis zones.
They must become more creative and adaptive to the changing realities of Sudan, working in ways that respond flexibly to different regional needs.
Jacobsen: On a personal note, for those who want to know more about you as an individual—where do you find your strength? You are working under extreme circumstances. Some may find comfort in data and analysis; human rights discussions can be theoretical.
Jabal: Where do I find my strength? Strength comes from understanding the situation and its complexities, even within a single area. The situation in Sudan is not uniform—within one state, you will find vastly different conditions.
For example, we have worked in states where control is divided between two conflicting parties—some areas are controlled by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), while others are under the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
One key strength of grassroots groups is their accessibility. They have access to areas that even the government or international organizations cannot reach. Another source of strength is their deep understanding of the local context.
We understand why certain interventions fail, and others succeed and how to adapt to each situation. This knowledge is invaluable.
Community accountability is another strength. Grassroots organizations are directly accountable to their communities, which builds trust. This level of accountability is not easily achieved, but it is crucial.
Lastly, grassroots groups have a strong reputation among the people they serve. This trust and credibility within their communities make their work more effective. So, yes, these are some key strengths that sustain us.
One of the major challenges we face is the spread of hate speech. The war on the ground is one thing, but the war on social media is another serious issue. Platforms like Facebook and WhatsApp are being used to spread misinformation and incite violence.
There have been cases where people were killed because of a video circulating online. This is a serious concern. One of our worries is the role of Meta, the company that owns Facebook and WhatsApp.
They have a fact-checking program, but it has many complications. One challenge is language. Hate speech often spreads in Sudanese Arabic dialects or specific tribal and regional languages, which are not always recognized by fact-checkers.
Another issue is transparency—we do not know how many fact-checkers Meta employs to monitor Sudan-related content or how effectively they prevent the spread of harmful speech. A recent U.S. government decision to halt Meta’s fact-checking policies has made things even more difficult.
This has further reduced the ability to control the spread of misinformation and hate speech. The international community has not taken significant action on this issue. No concrete steps have been taken to address the harmful content spreading on social media, and this remains a serious and growing problem we face daily. I want to highlight that as one of the key challenges we are dealing with.
Jacobsen: Thank you. I appreciate your time again.
Jabal: Thank you so much, Scott.
Jacobsen: You’re welcome.
Jabal: It was nice talking to you. Have a good day.
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