Warning: This article contains themes which some readers may find distressing.

"They didn't even give him a chance. They shot him more than 20 or 25 times.

"One of our childhood friends was also with them, but he couldn't say anything. So he just saw our friend die in front of his eyes - and that's it."

The matter of fact way in which Sudan forward John Mano recounts the death of his best friend Medo is at odds with the intense look burning in his eyes as he does so.

Medo is one of more than 150,000 people to have been killed during the country's civil war which began in April 2023.

Mano, who debuted for the national team just months before the conflict started, says Medo had travelled to the city of Wadi Halfa, near the border with Egypt, to arrange documentation to leave the country during what the United Nations is calling the world's largest humanitarian crisis.

"I think they forgot some certificates," the 24-year-old tells BBC Sport Africa, speaking at the team's hotel at the ongoing 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) in Morocco.

"It was so important for the family and he had to go back. He went to his house and took everything.

"They caught him. They said, 'Are you working with the army?' He just wanted to explain. But they started shooting him."

The power struggle between Sudan's army and a paramilitary group, the Rapid Support Force (RSF), has also forced more than 12 million people to flee their homes, with widespread famine and reports of genocide in the western Darfur region.

Unsurprisingly, football has taken a back seat. Stadiums have been destroyed and the league halted.

Two of the country's biggest club sides, Al Hilal and Al Merrikh, are currently playing in the Rwandan league, having spent last season in the Mauritanian top flight.

"We don't have a league, we don't have anything, but we can't complain because people in my country, they can't eat, they don't have food," says Mano.

But despite all the challenges - including having to play their home Afcon qualifying matches in neutral countries - Sudan have reached the finals for only the fourth time since 1976.

Ghanaian head coach Kwesi Appiah has had to convince players to compete without guarantees of payment and has offered consolation on "several occasions" when squad members have lost family members.

"We try to let players know, even though they're gone, [they're] looking at you and what you can do now for the nation," says the 65-year-old, who took charge in September 2023.

"I need to give the player maybe two or three days off, to make sure he comes back to himself."

Some of the players have not been home in years, with many lucky enough to find a new club overseas.

Like several others in the Falcons of Jediane squad, Mano has made the move to Libya, first joining Al Ahly and now Al Akhdar.