A brutal civil war raging in Sudan since April 2023 has led to untold suffering. The conflict is between between two rival military factions, the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces Militia. According to the International Rescue Committee, at least 15,000 people have died with some estimates going as far as 150,000. As many as 25 million, half of the country's entire population, are said to be in need of humanitarian aid, and 12 million people have been displaced,

In such times of death, devastation, hunger, disease and looting, football may not be a priority. But the national team also can't separate itself from the horrors of home.

”The impact of the war is huge on the team as well as everything else," Abdelrahman Kuku, a defender for the national team, told DW. "Every day the players worry about their family because things can change in a second when your country is in a situation like this."

The terrible situation may weigh heavily on the minds of those representing the country, ranked 120 in the world by FIFA, but they can also serve as inspiration. "Going into every game you know that you are not just playing for yourself but the whole country is waiting for you to succeed," said Kuku. "We enter every game with a lot of energy knowing that we can make the country happy. There is a lot of pressure but it is more motivation than........

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