Over the last decade or two, the understanding that local organisations play a role in delivering emergency assistance has become widely accepted among international donors. Yet in practice, local involvement is often limited to just one phase of the aid process. “Localisation is not just about including local actors in implementation,” Elbashir argues. “It means engaging them from the start — from the initial needs assessments to designing activities, delivering the response, and evaluating the outcomes. It’s about localisation by design, not by default.”

Elbashir’s organisation, Vet-Care, is one of the local partners of the Joint Response of the Dutch Relief Alliance (DRA). Vet-Care supports people with cash & vouchers, it supports women in developing income-generating activities, and it works on sanitation and water supplies in places where IDPs live.

Locally-led
Elbashir represents Sudanese local partners in DRA’s Local Advisory Group. To him, localisation should be treated like gender mainstreaming: something that is structurally embedded in every programme. “It shouldn’t be an afterthought or a bonus. It should be how we work by design.” And across the country, efforts are fragmented, Elbashir says. “Everyone’s working on localisation, but not always together.” That lack of coordination is felt acutely in Sudan, where ongoing conflict and restricted access mean local actors are often the only ones able to operate. “In places like North Darfur and North Kordofan, which are in the centre of Sudan, it’s the community-based groups and local NGOs who are still strongly present. They reach the places where international NGOs can’t go.”

He recalls how, early in the crisis, some international actors arrived expecting to find sprawling camps filled with internally displaced people (IDPs). Instead, they found… nothing. “They asked, ‘Where are the people?’” Elbashir says. “And the answer was: in homes, with families. Sudanese communities took them in. Neighbours opened their doors. Relatives made room. It’s part of who we are — this sense of responsibility toward each other.” It was a remarkable display of solidarity — one that carried the burden while the international system caught up. But over time, the strain grew. “As personal savings ran out, some IDPs moved to gathering sites like schools. And meanwhile, house rents exploded — by up to 500% in some areas.”

Aid networks
Two years into the crisis, the humanitarian sector also faces an erosion of trust. “Too often, organisations came into communities to conduct needs assessments and then disappeared. Communities feel used,” Elbashir says. That’s why Vet-Care doesn’t begin any data collection unless the budget is already secured. “You don’t promise what you can’t deliver. It’s that simple.” In White Nile State, one of DRA’s focus areas, Elbashir sees a better model taking shape. “Eight DRA partners work here. We meet monthly to coordinate and avoid overlap. One partner works on water, another on hygiene, another on livelihoods. The idea is to complement each other — and reach more people.”

White Nile is also where Elbashir now lives. Originally from Al-Ubayyid, he fled the city with his family in April 2023, when fighting escalated. “Technically, I’m an IDP myself,” he says. “But I’m lucky. I’ve been able to rebuild my life here, thanks to stable work and support from my organisation.”

Keep eyes on Sudan
Asked what message he’d send to global leaders, Elbashir doesn’t hesitate: “Hello, we’re here!” Sudan, he explains, is facing one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises. But support is falling short — the eyes of the world are elsewhere. And support is eroding or suddenly withdrawn, as in the case of USAID. He worries about the added impact of financial sanctions. “These sanctions hit ordinary people. They make it harder for organisations like ours to get resources into the country.” Visibility matters too, he says. “Sudan needs to be seen. Share the stories. Put 30-second messages in cinemas before films. Remind people that this crisis is still happening.”

Ultimately, Elbashir believes in the power of local knowledge, local presence, and local ownership. “When people are part of shaping the response to a crisis, they carry that knowledge with them. Wherever they go — whether they stay, move, or return — it’s theirs.”

Photo: Marco de Swart