Alwaleed Abdeen, one of Sudan’s leading business mentors and supporters of entrepreneurs, has passed away. For the next six months, he endured violent torture at the hands of the RSF. The 35-year-old Khartoum native won admiration for his initiatives to support youth entrepreneurship, especially in disadvantaged areas such as Darfur. His sudden passing has sent shockwaves across the world on social media, as people who knew him reflected on how kind and generous he had been to them.
Abdeen’s troubles flared up in April 2023, just as conflict erupted between the RSF and the Sudanese army. He experienced several suspicious RSF-force detainments throughout this budding and changeable time. His most recent arrest was in October 2024, after which he disappeared for six terrifying months. Witness and other NGOs’ reports indicate that Abdeen was incarcerated in a school converted for use as a detention facility in Jebel Awliya. There, he suffered unprecedented deprivation.
When he was ultimately rescued, Abdeen was a shadow of himself, unrecognizable even to his rescue team. His death came as a surprise to everyone who knew him, including his close friend Dalia Yousif. She thought about not believing it when she first saw him in such bad shape.
“I screamed. I was in shock, my mum came running to my room. The shock of seeing him in that way, to know that all of this time he was in that situation,” – Dalia Yousif
Abdeen’s death was confirmed just after he passed away in the hospital from his wounds. To many who knew him, it is still difficult or impossible to accept the savage truth of his ordeal. Yousif, retelling the story, conveyed her anguish at how unrecognizable he had become as a result of the torture he experienced.
“All this time we were living our lives and he’s been in this awful situation, detained, starved. No one even recognised him from that video, even as he said his name. It was like you were looking at an old, sick man,” – Dalia Yousif
There is no debate his legacy as one of the premier champions for Sudanese entrepreneurs. Abdeen co-founded the Khartoum edition of Ted Talks and founded or co-founded innovation hubs like 249 Startups. By utilizing these platforms, he focused his efforts on supporting the growth of young entrepreneurs, showcasing a sincere devotion to uplifting others.
Abdeen’s mother became ill and died while he languished in prison. This heart-wrenching loss was further compounded by extreme lack of food, water, electricity, and medical care throughout Khartoum. The personal loss is representative of the tragic situation for so many people as the conflict continues unabated on the ground.
In reaction to Abdeen’s killing, Mohammed Awad expressed his anger and sadness about the violence used against him.
“Honestly, I was shocked by what I saw on that video – I couldn’t believe my eyes, seeing his body so thin from the hunger, the sickness and torture he endured,” – Mohammed Awad
Awad went on to roundly denounce the perpetrators of Abdeen’s torture, asking how such people could be considered human.
“Whoever can torture and kill a peaceful person like Alwaleed so brutally, they are a person of no faith, no morality, no humanity,” – Mohammed Awad
Yousif highlighted Abdeen’s unshakable commitment first to his own efforts, but to enriching projects led by others.
“He was passionate about what he was doing but also about what other people were doing. So he was always trying to not just grow himself but also empower others to grow with him,” – Dalia Yousif