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Article History

Received: 3 July 2024

Accepted: 14 October 2024

First Online: 30 October 2024

Declarations

:

: While our study was conducted with informed consent from all participants and appropriate measures were taken to protect privacy and maintain confidentiality, it is important to note that the research was exempt from formal ethical approval by local/national legislation. The specific legislation that exempts this study from formal approval is as [In this case, where ethical review is not currently a required part of Sudan's local/national legislation, there may not be specific legislation to cite. "In Sudan, ethical review for research studies is not currently required in the local/national legislation. While we acknowledge the importance of ethical considerations in scientific research, the absence of specific legislation mandating ethical review exempts our study from the requirement. However, we want to emphasize that we have taken ethical responsibilities seriously and upheld the principles of informed consent, privacy protection, and confidentiality by international ethical standards]. This legislation outlines the criteria for exemption from formal ethical approval for research studies that pose minimal or no risks to participants. Our study meets the requirements specified in this legislation, as it involved a short interview of 10–15 min without any physical risks to the participants []. While formal ethical approval was not required, our study adhered to international ethical standards, including the principles outlined in the Declaration of Helsinki. This ensured the participants' rights, safety, and well-being were protected throughout the research []. On the other hand, we attached to this email the letter issued by the Ministry of Production and Natural Resources in Al-Qadarif state (study area) to initiate data collection for our study. Thank you for your attention to this matter.

: The authors declare no competing interests.