and in montreal, canada is khalid medani, associate professor and chair of the african studies programmcgill university. khalid is also author of many political and economic publications on sudan. a warm welcome to you all. thank you for joining us. kholood in khartoum, let me start with you, if i can. i understand that you've been coordinating safe passage for people to leave khartoum. can you tell us first about the current situation on the ground, are people able to leave, and if they are, where are they heading to? >> well, it's quite a difficult, gut-wrenching decision to make whether to stay or to go. there are risks, considerable risks to both. some people have made the calculation that it's better to stay and wait for a better sort of exit, a more secure exit, and others have decided that it's too dangerous for them to stay, and so many are heading southwards towards medanist street. but what we've just heard in the past few hours is that medini street has seen some clashes between the paramilitary rsf and the sudan armed forces and has been taken over by the paramilitary force

amy: khalid mustafa medani, we want to thank you so much for being with us. you mentioned jan.o have him on the line with us from washington. he is just back from honduras but is also dealing with what is happening in sudan as we look at how virtually all humanitarian work has been paralyzed in sudan. the norwegian refugee council says the "worst-case scenario is unfolding" because they are unable to provide assistance amid such heavy fighting. we are joined by the nrc's secretary general jan egeland. if you can lay the humanitarian situation right now in sudan that you and other ngos are facing? if you could start again? i did not hear the beginning of what you said. i'm not sure if anyone else is hearing, but i am not hearing you. i think you are muted. we will try -- we are going -- i think we can hear you now. we can't so we're going to go to break and then we will come back and fix this issue. i wish the issue in sudan could be fixed as easily. khalid mustafa medani, thank you for being with us, sudanese scholar, chair of the african studies program at mcgill university. s

we're joined from montreal by professor khalid mustafa medani — he's the chair of the african studiesrsity. he has written a book called "revolutionary sudan" and has family who are currently on the border between sudan and egypt as they attempt to flee the violence. thank you forjoining me on bbc news. let me ask you about your family. i news. let me ask you about your famil . ~ ., i. news. let me ask you about your famil . ~ ., ., , family. i know you have been speaking _ family. i know you have been speaking to _ family. i know you have been speaking to them, _ family. i know you have been speaking to them, if- family. i know you have been speaking to them, if you - family. i know you have been speaking to them, if you can| family. i know you have been - speaking to them, if you can just update us on what they have been saying to you?— update us on what they have been saying to you? thank you for asking. the are saying to you? thank you for asking. they are in — saying to you? thank you for asking. they are in a — saying to you? thank you for asking. they are in a small— saying to