"My family is dying and I don't know what to do": Anok Yai calls for peace in Sudan in Model of the Year acceptance speech

Anok Yai, the South Sudanese supermodel who won the prestigious Model of the Year award, used her acceptance speech to draw attention to the conflict in Sudan, appealing for peace in the African nation.

"I wish peace for Sudan, but there is a massacre happening", urged Yai at a ceremony in London's Royal Albert Hall on Monday night.

She also called on the US government to "do the right thing for my people" amid a crackdown on refugees and asylum seekers' immigration status by the Trump administration.

In November, the US Department of Homeland Security announced it is terminating South Sudan's designation for temporary protected status, which for years allowed people from the East African country to remain in the US legally and escape armed conflict back home. 

She went on to say, "My family is dying, and I don't know what to do."

Yai was born as a refugee in Egypt after her family fled the second South Sudan civil war, one of the longest civil wars in recorded history. The war led to the partition of Sudan and the independence of South Sudan, after around two million people died in the conflict.

She grew up in New Hampshire, United States. Yai has previously credited government support for refugees like her for her success, telling Forbes in 2021, "Had we not been given [government assistance] I don't know where we would have ended up."

Yai wore a cream corsetted gown by Turkish designer Dilara Fındıkoğlu to the Fashion Awards ceremony. Fındıkoğlu won the Vanguard Award, which recognises a designer helping to shape the future of fashion.

Model of the Year is one of the most prestigious awards in the fashion world. Previous recipients include Palestinian American model Bella Hadid, Naomi Campbell, and fellow Sudanese model Adut Akech. Last year, the award went to Alex Cosani, who presented it to Yai during the ceremony.

Yai's career began after she was photographed at a university event in 2017 while studying Biochemistry at Plymouth State University, in hopes of becoming a doctor. Within months, Yai opened Prada's Fall/Winter 2018 show, the second black woman to do so after Naomi Campbell. Since then, she has walked for numerous brands, including Versace, Burberry and Louis Vuitton, and appeared on the cover of various issues of Vogue.