Sudan’s participation in the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) is “bringing hope” to the nation’s people amid its civil war, forward Abobaker Eisa says.

The country has been in the grip of what the United Nations calls the world’s largest humanitarian crisis since April 2023, when a power struggle between the army and a paramilitary group, the Rapid Support Force (RSF), led to conflict.

More than 150,000 people have been killed and over 12 million forced to flee their homes, with widespread famine and reports of genocide in the western Darfur region.

The conflict forced Sudan to play all their qualifying matches away from home, but they came through to book their Afcon spot for only the fourth time since 1976.

The 1970 champions face Algeria (24 December), Equatorial Guinea (28 December), and Burkino Faso (31 December) in the group stage, and Eisa says every match is a “big deal” and a potential distraction for those in Sudan.

“There’s a lot of bad things going on in Sudan. As players, we know how much of a big deal football can be to our nation,” Eisa told BBC World Service.

“There’s not a lot of smiles at the minute, so we’re trying to use football as a way to get their minds off [the war].

“Even qualifying for the Afcon and having fans there to cheer us on – the fact that we’re there is already bringing hope.”