STORY: Sudanese hope for peace amid devastation
SHOOTING TIME: Dec. 22, 2024
DATELINE: Dec. 24, 2024
LENGTH: 0:01:48
LOCATION: Khartoum
CATEGORY: MILITARY

SHOTLIST:
1. STANDUP (Arabic): FAYEZ ELZAKI, Xinhua reporter
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (Arabic): HAWA ADAM, Sudanese citizen
3. SOUNDBITE 2 (Arabic): AL-HAJ AL-ATTA AWAD, Sudanese citizen

STORYLINE:

STANDUP (Arabic): FAYEZ ELZAKI, Xinhua reporter
"I'm now in the Al-Azhari area in southern Khartoum. It is the area where the war started and it's also the area with the most intensive clashes. As 2024 comes to an end, the armed conflict in Sudan has been raging for more than 20 months. But there was no sign of ceasefire, and peace still remains intractable. During the past year, the two parties repeatedly exchange fire on many fronts, including the area of the capital, Gezira and the Sinnar States in central Sudan, and North Darfur State in the west, which continuously exacerbated the humanitarian crisis in the country, where death, hunger, displacement, and cholera epidemic have become the major theme. Sudan is facing one of the worst displacement and hunger crisis in the world. According to estimates by the United Nations and international organizations, the ongoing conflict in Sudan has killed nearly 28,700 people. The number of displaced people surpassed 14 million this year, doubling the number in 2023, with over 3 million crossing the borders into neighboring countries, while 97 percent of the country's population faces severe levels of hunger. In 2024, the sounds of guns and cannons prevailed. However, the aspirations of the Sudanese people for peace remained unshaken. In the new year, the biggest wish for the Sudanese is to achieve peace."

SOUNDBITE 1 (Arabic): HAWA ADAM, Sudanese citizen
"Nobody expected this to happen to us. We hope the war will end."

SOUNDBITE 2 (Arabic): AL-HAJ AL-ATTA AWAD, Sudanese citizen
"We hope the war will end and we can return to our homes."

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Khartoum.
(XHTV)