Sudanese band Aswat Almadina on playing on through the war

One of Sudan's most popular bands, Aswat Almadina, recall being in the studio when the war broke out three years ago.

Watch LiveBritish Broadcasting CorporationHomeNewsSportBusinessTechnologyHealthCultureArtsTravelEarthAudioVideoLiveDocumentariesHomeNewsUS & CanadaUKUK PoliticsEnglandN. IrelandN. Ireland PoliticsScotlandScotland PoliticsWalesWales PoliticsAfricaAsiaChinaIndiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastIn PicturesBBC InDepthBBC VerifySportBusinessWorld of BusinessTechnology of BusinessNYSE Opening BellTechnologyWatch DocumentariesArtificial IntelligenceIntelligence RevolutionAI v the MindHealthWatch DocumentariesCultureWatch DocumentariesFilm & TVMusicArt & DesignStyleBooksEntertainment NewsArtsWatch DocumentariesArts in MotionTravelWatch DocumentariesDestinationsAfricaAntarcticaAsiaAustralia and PacificCaribbean & BermudaCentral AmericaEuropeMiddle EastNorth AmericaSouth AmericaWorld’s TableCulture & ExperiencesAdventuresThe SpeciaListEarthWatch DocumentariesScienceNatural WondersClimate SolutionsSustainable BusinessGreen LivingAudioPodcast CategoriesRadioAudio FAQsVideoWatch DocumentariesBBC MaestroDiscover the WorldLiveLive NewsLive SportDocumentariesHomeNewsSportBusinessTechnologyHealthCultureArtsTravelEarthAudioVideoLiveDocumentariesWeatherNewslettersWatch Live'The weapons were loud, but there was always music': Sudanese band play on through the war16 hours agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GooglePriya Sippy and Basma El AttiBBC Focus on Africa Diaa TalhaLead vocalist Ibrahem Mahmoud was arrested several times for "singing the truth"Members of one of Sudan's most influential bands, Aswat Almadina, are scattered across the world, clinging to the hope that their music will be an inspiration for peace in a nation ravaged by war.

Timon was among the six members of the band who left Sudan two months after the conflict started in 2023, traumatised by the sight of dead bodies, destroyed buildings and burnt-out cars in the streets of the capital, Khartoum.

"It was like something out of a zombie movie," Timon tells the BBC Focus on Africa podcast.

More than 150,000 people have died in the conflict, and about 12 million have fled their homes in what the United Nations has called the world's largest humanitarian crisis.

Timon - whose real name is Mohammed Almustafa - was among the founding members of Aswat Almadina, meaning Sounds of the City, in 2014.