International humanitarian award for former Ennis student

A FORMER Ennis student who has gone on to run an anti-racism charity in the UK with his sister has won an international humanitarian award.

Eltayeb Bashar, who was born in Limerick and raised in Ennis, attending CBS and Rice College, has been named the winner of the 2024 HART (Humanitarian Aid Relief Trust) Prize for Human Rights for an essay inspired by his family’s experiences during civil war in Sudan.

HART is an international development charity that collaborates with humanitarian groups in different countries to assist communities with sustainable development and peace efforts.

The international essay competition invited participants aged 11-25 to address human rights issues in HART operational countries, highlighting under-represented humanitarian issues.

Eltayeb, who is currently completing a masters in international human rights law at the University of Birmingham, won first prize in the senior category for his essay titled, Sudan’s Forgotten War: Addressing One of the Greatest Humanitarian Crises of Our Time.

He explains the essay, “was inspired by the hardships of civil war in my homeland and by my family’s suffering in escaping it. When the war broke out in Sudan in 2023 they were forced to leave everything behind, it seemed like nobody in the west was talking about this conflict and I wanted to do my part to bring attention to it.”

He outlines, “My family had been living in Sudan for generations, but when the war broke out, they had no choice but to leave everything behind and go seek refuge in Egypt. Their odyssey to Egypt was dangerous; they took a bus filled with people, all escaping with their lives as they passed through desert and rough terrain. This war, and especially the crimes against humanity being committed by the RSF, have made Sudan all but inhabitable for its people. Now we are all dreaming of returning, but nobody has any idea what they will return to.”

Entries from Eastern Visayas State University in the Philippines, an essayist in Armenia, and the University of Sydney in Australia came second, third and highly commended, respectively.

“To be recognised for my contribution with a human rights prize is very humbling. I want to publish more works on human rights issues and to continue to be an advocate for the voiceless.”

He continues, “Girls as young as nine are forced to marry RSF soldiers, many women have to sell sex services just to eat, people are indiscriminately killed every day, and a report by the Clingendael Institute thinktank says 2.5 million people in Sudan could starve by the end of September, and yet this crisis rarely gets a mention in the west. This needs to change now. I am grateful that my essay will bring much-needed attention to one of the most neglected major humanitarian crises in the world today.”

For winning the competition Eltayeb won a cash prize, a signed book by HART founder Baroness Caroline Cox and a tour of the House of Lords and Commons. As part of his prize, he also got a work experience placement with HART, where he crafted some written questions and answers for parliamentary review on the crisis in Sudan which have been tabled.

While living in the UK Eltayeb continues to have a strong love for county Clare and just recently returned to visit some friends in Ennis.

“It was an incredible experience for me to revisit the places of my childhood and to reconnect with my old friends. Ennis holds such a special place in my heart and I hope that I can make my hometown proud one day,” he tells us.

As well as his studies Eltayeb and his sister run The Anti-Racism Initiative, a non-profit anti-racism organisation and registered charity dedicated to the promotion of racial harmony in Worcestershire and its surrounding areas.