Mohanad Hashim

He dreams of a return to peace.

With this moment of peace here, there are glimpses of what Khartoum could become again.

People are back at the banks of the Nile sipping cups of sweet tea and hibiscus.

Schools have reopened.

Kids play football again and swim in the Blue Nile.

And one year on, Dua 2 is reveling in a newfound sense of freedom, trying to shed the fear instilled by war.

So what of the future?

The war still goes on, millions remain displaced, thousands are dying.

It's the army and the RSF who will decide when the war is over, and much depends on their regional backers.

It's widely documented that the RSF gets critical support from the United Arab Emirates, though it strongly denies this, while Egypt and Saudi Arabia are key backers of the military.

If peace finally happens, the cost of recovery in every way will be overwhelming.

Dua hopes people will take another lesson from this war, that in many ways it was the civilians who saved each other, and they will be the ones to rebuild Sudan.

This episode of Assignment was presented by me, Mohannad Hashim, and the producer was Alex Lost.

The sound mix was by Neil Churchill.

The production coordinator was Katie Morrison, and the series editor is Penny Murphy.