News and Films From Sudan’s Frontline (Beta)


Make it news


Follow us on Twitter, and Join us on Facebook and YouTube

About us


Get our newsletter

A Q & A with Award-Winning Photographer Adriane Ohanesian

Adriane Ohanesian managed to travel last year to the rebel-controlled Jebel Marra area of Darfur, Sudan. It was one of the only, if not the only, time a foreign journalist has accessed these parts of the war zone.




How did you, as an international journalist, access Darfur?

It is nearly impossible to access Darfur. It took over two years of speaking with people and trying to make the right connections. At the end of the day, the most important aspect of planning the expedition was to make sure that it was safe and that we had a secure route into and back out of the rebel-controlled areas in the mountains. From the very beginning I was working side-by-side with Klaas van Dijken, a Dutch journalist, whose persistence made this trip possible.
I think that what we did last year would be impossible now. In the last month or so the fighting between the government and the rebels has intensified, and the bombing has been overwhelming. From what I understand, beginning in January, the mountains are now surrounded by government forces, so accessing the mountains again would be extremely difficult and dangerous.

How long were you there?

We were inside Darfur for about two weeks, but a lot of that time was spent getting to and from the mountains and skirting around government-controlled areas. It is difficult to find a safe pathway in and out, and also requires walking for about two or three 10 to 12-hour days into the mountains. Cars can’t access this area so we walked and took donkeys through the night.



How did you facilitate access to Jebel Marra, the heart of Darfur’s conflict?

One of the only reasons that we were able to do the work that we did is the fact that we were in rebel-controlled territory. All of the photos were taken outside the government-controlled areas. I think is important to recognize that none of the government-controlled areas are accessible.

Why do you say that? How so?

The government is extremely controlling. They’re not just banning journalists from Darfur, but they’re also denying access to the UN and NGOs—really anyone who can bring information out about what is happening on the ground. There’s literally no one operating in the rebel-controlled areas.
That’s one of the reasons why we don’t hear much from Darfur. I don’t think there’s a lack of interest but it’s very hard to see what’s happening when people aren’t allowed in these areas, and that’s been a government strategy for a long time.

What is the situation for civilians in the rebel-controlled area of Darfur where you traveled? Are they severely lacking food, water, and medical care?

One of the questions that keeps coming up about the World Press Photo award: ‘Did Adam get treated for his burns? Are there any organizations there?’ The answer is no, there is nothing there. There are no hospitals. There’s no medical treatment. If you wanted to bring in medical supplies, the government has blocked the roads. People are struggling to grow food and collect water. If the government is bombing and destroying the only water sources, how are people supposed to live?

You mentioned you had to walk 10-12 hours a day some days. Was there fighting around you? Were you afraid of being caught by government forces?


The Forgotten Mountains, rebel-controlled Darfur, Sudan


Bodies were strewn around the area you were walking?

We were able to access a couple of villages that had been attacked by government forces—houses were completely burnt, looted, and destroyed. There were signs of shelling, there were bullets all over the ground, and there were bodies of government soldiers all around the mountainside.

The UN estimates there are now more than 90,000 displaced in Darfur just from the last few months’ fighting. Did you see displacement when you were there?

There are no organizations in the area, so many of the people have fled to the mountains. One morning we woke up at 3 and hiked up in the dark to a cave so that I could be there when people woke up. I spent the morning photographing and speaking with people while Klaas recorded video interviews. There were a couple of hundred people living in that one cave, but the caves seemed to go on forever. Thousands of people are hiding in caves to escape from bombings, or they had fled their villages after they had been attacked or destroyed in the fighting.

The Forgotten Mountains, rebel-controlled Darfur, Sudan


What did you find?


What was difficult about the trip to Darfur?

You’re seeing people whose lives have been destroyed, whose families have been killed, or family members disappeared, or young girls who have been gang-raped.
I also knew that this may be the only time that we are able to access the area. The combination of being physically exhausted and, on the other hand, putting this pressure on myself of doing the best that I possibly could while I was there was tough.
It was also very hard to explain to people why this was still going on and why no one had stopped these atrocities from happening to their families and their communities. People would ask, “What’s happening, why hasn’t this stopped?” And that’s a difficult thing to confront as an outsider, as one of the few who’s ever been to this place; you get these questions that seem to be targeted at the entire world.

How can you really respond to that?

I made promises to people while I was there, telling them that the only thing I could do as a photographer, was that I could promise that I would do everything within in my power to get the information and images out. I just hope that that’s happening and people are paying attention.

So how has the photo been received publicly since you received the World Press Photo Award?



Make it news
Spread the word