AMEL Research
AMEL is working to empower civic activists to produce research and analysis on key topics including human rights, democracy, conflict and more. Activist-led research fills critical information gaps and provide vital insights to decision-makers around the world about developments on the ground and the impacts and prospects for frontline activists and movements. AMEL is thus piloting a number of approaches to creating evidence-based research and analysis products that address evolving gaps in information, misperceptions, miscalculations, and other challenges and opportunities for informing regional and international discourse, signals and decision-making.
Thus far, research initiatives have focused on Sudan, with plans to broaden efforts regionally and globally with time. In late 2023, several activists were engaged as Inaugural Sudan Democracy Action Researchers, including:
Reem Abbas - In her paper "War on Women in Sudan: Sharing Experiences of Displacement, Violence, and Personal Struggles", Reem delves into the profound impact of the war in Sudan, shedding light on the often-overlooked experiences of displacement, violence, and personal struggles faced by women in the region. Reem Abbas is a Sudanese feminist activist, journalist, writer, researcher and independent communications expert. She is a political commentator with expertise in women’s rights and civic space and has been published in numerous global outlets, including the Washington Post. Reem studied sociology and journalism at the American University in Cairo and pursued gender and migration graduate studies at Ahfad University for Women in Sudan.
Hamid Khalafallah - In the paper “War, Displacement, and Sudan’s Democracy Movement”, Hamid explores the impact of forced migration and displacement on Sudan's democracy movement. This paper highlights the challenges and opportunities that arise when communities are uprooted by conflict and how this affects the broader democratic aspirations of the nation. Hamid Khalafallah is a Sudanese researcher and policy analyst who has worked for various international and national organizations in Sudan on governance and development issues. He is a former non-resident fellow at the Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy and is currently pursuing a PhD degree at the Global Development Institute of the University of Manchester in the UK, researching democratic transitions and grassroots movements in Africa.
Reem and Hamid discussed their research with the AMEL Team in a webinar on January 30, 2024, click here to watch the recording.
Stay tuned for more AMEL Research!