#sudan war

[griotsaidwhat]

Women from Sudan Share Their Stories

The Voices of Sudan

These are the experiences of women whose lives have been dramatically changed by the Sudan conflict—in their own words.

Samia, Mother of Four

I was born in Port Sudan. I am 42 years old. I moved to the city of Al-Abyad in North Kordofan after marriage and lived there until the beginning of the war.

Before April 15, life was normal. We never imagined that something like this would happen. We were safe and secure. The war started in the Matar neighborhood. We saw people heading south. Then we learned that the army and the Rapid Support Forces had clashed.

When the war broke out, we imagined that it would be a momentary event that would quickly come to an end. Sunday morning around 8:00 AM, the shelling began and a shell fell in front of our house, injuring my six-year-old daughter. We took her to the hospital, where they decided she needed emergency surgery, but there were no available doctors in the emergency room until we called them. She underwent surgery in the afternoon. In the evening, her father asked the doctor about her condition and the reason for the delay. The doctor told him that they would attempt to revive her for half an hour; if she didn’t respond, he would offer his condolences. Unfortunately, they announced her passing shortly after that. The shell had damaged her kidney, spleen, and intestines on the right side.

She was my only daughter, and she had three older brothers. I stayed ten days at my aunt’s house. I couldn’t go back home. My brothers and sisters were in Madani and Khartoum. I was alone. Then I returned home with my husband and children. My husband went out to the neighbors. I stayed at home with my younger son who was scared because he witnessed his sister’s injury.

I heard the sound of a speeding Rapid Support Forces vehicle and told my son that they were here, but not to be afraid. We hid in the storeroom and after a few moments I heard their voices in the courtyard. I closed the storeroom door. I told him, “They have entered. Don’t be afraid.” They called me by my name, Samia. (They probably knew from the neighbors.) I looked through the door hole opening and saw them carrying my phone. One of them saw our footprints. They knew that we were in the storeroom. They knocked on the storeroom door and one of them told the other, “If you don’t open it, I will shoot.”

I opened the door. He hit me and said, “You are hiding.” I told him that I didn’t hide, but we were afraid of the sounds of the bullets. They hit me again and asked me if my husband was cooperating with the army or not. I told them no, and they told my son to stand facing the wall.

Then they left, and I followed them, only to find that they had taken my husband with them in the pickup truck. We didn’t hear anything about him for 27 days. They demanded a ransom of one million Sudanese pounds. I communicated with my brothers by phone. We paid the required amount. After his release, he was in a terrible condition; there wasn’t a part of his body without wounds or signs of beating. I feared he would die. I stayed with him for treatment while we heard the sounds of gunfire and skirmishes for six months. After that, I decided to leave with my children to my family in Madani. On the way we faced hardships. The bus was mostly filled with women and children. We encountered armed groups who demanded money. We were forced to pay them. We finally reached the city of Madani and then made our way to the city of Port Sudan.

In Port Sudan, I felt safe, but the psychological toll and the haunting memories of war still linger. We become anxious at the slightest sound. In Port Sudan, I stayed with one of my relatives for a while. I am now in a displacement shelter with my sisters who have fled from Madani and Khartoum. Thank God, I receive support from my brothers and my husband, who is still in El-Obeid.

I, along with the women in general, need psychological support and training in crafts and handwork that can be utilized for livelihood. The war has affected everyone. I pray to God for peace and security to prevail in the country.

[good-old-gossip]

Over 250,000 people have fled to Port Sudan and surrounding areas since the conflict began.

It has been the main entry point for all aid entering Sudan. Half of the country's population - 25 million people - face extreme hunger.

[flamearm]

Donate to hala, her uncle scammed her,stole all 5,000 of her evacuation money.

[philosopherking1887]

The BBC is reporting on an air strike that killed hundreds of people in *Sudan*? I'm genuinely shocked.

[hicginewsagency]

Shelling at Sudanese Market Kills Dozens in Omdurman.

A deadly shelling attack on a busy market in the Sudanese city of Omdurman has resulted in significant casualties, filling local mortuaries with bodies. The attack, which took place on Saturday, left more than 100 people either dead or injured, according to the medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF) and Sudanese authorities. Advert The paramilitary group, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF),…

[alsaydahussein]

may this year bring peace back to my beloved country #Sudan 🇸🇩,who suffered a lot of wars and displacement for his strongly ambitious people and continues to fight enemies and the ambitions and interventions of the wicked in his great wealth.

#pray_forsudan 🇸🇩 #talkaboutsudan 🇸🇩 #Africa

[griotsaidwhat]

Women from Sudan Share Their Stories

The Voices of Sudan

These are the experiences of women whose lives have been dramatically changed by the Sudan conflict—in their own words.

Ayesha Dabaka, University Student

I am Ayesha Abdallah Abdalrahman Dabaka. I am 24 years old. I was born in Nyala city and raised in Salha, durman. I study clinical nutrition, level 3, in Khartoum University. I am currently not officially working, but I volunteer, and I have a side business.

I am a single woman. I don’t have a regular income, but my small business has some financial benefits. My father is responsible for all my expenses. A lot of great things were happening in my life before war, and I have learned many things that contributed to build my awareness and capacity. I started to know what I wanted to do in life. The war has stopped many things that I have started. I was a member of our resistance committee for Salha and part of the service and change committee, too. In college, I was the public relations officer in the Clinical Nutrition Association. I represented the University of Khartoum in the Sudanese Nutritionists Organization. I was also part of 200 young women from Salha chosen by CARE International for leadership trainings and active participation in public, and I received a grant for the “Montada Salha Al-thagafy” project for six months. I was also a member in “Ma’an” Organization and part of a beautiful program named “Benayat Al-fareeg” that empowers women economically. My life was full of vitality between my work in university and volunteering. I love to improve myself.

The war has had a huge effect on me. My life has totally stopped. I am trying to be resilient, but everything has stopped. This affected me mentally, financially, socially. Going to a new place where I don’t know anyone and thinking when you will be back has a huge effect that till now, I don’t feel like the old me with same strength and energy.

The first place we went to when the war started in Khartoum was Kosty, White Nile State. I had a minor cultural shock because the community wasn’t like our community in Khartoum; [it was] very conservative and closed, but we were hoping the war wouldn’t last more than a month. After two months staying in Kosty, we decided to start a small business with my sisters. We sold legemat [sweet fritters]. It didn’t work, and we changed it to pastries, and they sold well.

I was searching for other jobs to volunteer at a different organization, but they all stated that I need to be a graduate first. I searched for courses to improve myself and I completed an IT course. I registered for a nursing course, but the strike on Madani happened, and we all thought that they were going to strike Kosty next. We figured if we moved to another state in Sudan, it will be a matter of time till they strike it, too, so we decided to move outside Sudan. The best option for us was Chad.

We came to N’djamena, and we faced many obstacles on the road to Chad. We spent 10 days on the road before we reached Chad. We saw things that were indescribable. I thought when I reached Chad, everything will be for the better, and I will be able to do many things. I was happy, but when I settled here, I was shocked! Society was totally different from ours. We thought that Sudan is difficult, with limited opportunities for growth, but here it was more difficult. Women are more persecuted here than in Sudan. Jobs opportunities are limited for women here. I spent the next three to four months lost. At that moment, I was thinking that I needed to start a business, but I was financially incapable of funding any business. However, I managed to start a small business of saboniya [a type of soap that is used for cosmetic purposes]. I distributed it to my neighbors and people near me.

I was searching for a job, but I had a language barrier because I don’t know French! So, I decided to learn French in a French institute. I am trying to cope with the place I am in now, but I am mentally incapable of it. I am trying to tell myself that I have no choice but to cope with this place and its culture but from inside, I am not convinced, so I struggle.

One of the things I learned from the war is that you can plan for your life, and in a second, everything can change and [you have to] start to build everything from scratch. If you start from a zero point and fail, try again, fail and try again, but never give up because if you stopped, only you will lose! Everybody else will be moving forward with their lives. Whatever bad situation you are in, don’t stop. Try your best to continue in any way.

The thought that I cannot join my colleagues for my college examination in Sudan has affected me emotionally. The examination centers are only in Sudan, Egypt, UAE, and Saudi Arabia. I tried to request a center in Chad, but the request was declined. At the beginning I was emotional about not joining my friends and losing a year at college, but this is God’s plan, and it is for good for sure.

I wish the war to stop because the sense of safety and security is important. We now understand the value of peace and safety. I wish to return to Sudan and to mend it and build to live in peace. I also wish organizations and other national and international platforms to focus on youth because they were the most affected by the war, especially with the closure of schools and universities. We are unemployed and our lives have stopped completely. We are the kernel of Sudan. We are the ones to build Sudan in and for the future, so I wish all parties to take care of youth during this war.

I want to add that most of us need psychological support, especially the ones who saw things that are difficult to describe. I am one of the people who got looted on the road to Chad and at some point, a gun was pointed to my head. I still remember these events and think that at that moment I might have lost my whole family. If organizations worked on war trauma, it would be good.

[good-old-gossip]

3.3m children face acute malnutrition risk in Sudan, UNICEF warns

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) announced yesterday that approximately 3.3 million children in Sudan are at risk of acute malnutrition.

In a statement on X, the UN agency reported that 17 million children have been out of school for nearly two years due to the ongoing war. Adding that five million of them have been displaced.

Lucia Elmi, UNICEF’s emergency programme director, said: “The level of crisis in #Sudan is unprecedented.”

On 13 February, Doctors Without Borders warned that half of Sudan’s population – 24.6 million people – are facing severe food insecurity, including 8.5 million individuals in emergency conditions or near famine.

Sudan has been embroiled in a conflict between the army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) since April 2023, resulting in over 20,000 deaths and around 15 million displaced persons and refugees, according to the United Nations and local authorities.

However, a study by American universities estimated the death toll to be around 130,000.

[flamearm]

[alwaysinbetweeninsaneandinsecure]

This family is continuing to raise money for their immigration costs after fleeing the war, starvation, and disease being imposed on Sudan right now.

Please consider what you have to give, be it your money directly to the fundraiser or your time/energy with sharing this here and elsewhere! <3

[niqabisinparis]

The RSF is getting more vicious as the military closes in on them. Instead of fighting their opponents, they’re turning on unarmed civilians and channeling all their hatred and evil on them.

This is (hopefully) obviously a last attempt to burn the house down behind them before they’re run out.

This means Sudanese people need you to talk about them more than ever right now

[nuroful]

[orbleglorb]

Non-monetary support to Sudan: Help humanitarians prepare for the next wet season

Sudan's roads are mainly dirt. Wadis, which are dry riverbeds, often pass through roads. Some wadis are huge, others small. Either way, flooding can pose a huge risk to already struggling humanitarians, who are trying their best to supply aid.

Unfortunately, Sudan Logistics Cluster did not get all of the necessary information before this year's wet season came and went (Sudan's wet season is typically May-Oct), but with no end to the conflict in sight, it's vital we help them prepare for the next one. Sudan is facing the biggest displacement crisis in the world, and millions are at risk of starving.

If you have some free time and can look at some images, I highly encourage you to join Zooniverse and help out with the Sudan Road Access project. They give you all the information you need in the tutorial, including how to identify wadis and roads. You will be identifying and marking where wadis cross roads. A road outline is provided, since it can be hard to tell the difference. Don't worry about getting it wrong; multiple people get each image, and an average is calculated and checked before the result is final. You can skip images if you're not sure, too. The link to the project is below:

You do have to make an account, but please don't let that stop you! It's completely free and Zooniverse very rarely sends any mail. I've gotten four emails from them in the two to three weeks I've been signed up, and two of them were just verifying my account. They also have extensive email settings that allow you to pick and choose exactly what you want.

The only things you need for this are a device to look at things on (which, if you're on Tumblr, I assume you have some level of access), good enough eyesight to look at maps, and a mouse or other utensil (I use my finger) to mark maps with. Here's some example images, in case you're worried about your ability to see anything:

Again, they will provide another image outlining the position of the road for you.

I hope you all join me in this project! Thanks for taking the time out of your day to read all this.

[good-old-gossip]

In Sudan, humanitarian workers face unimagined horrors

Waseem Ahmad, CEO of Islamic Relief, talks to MEE about a 'lost generation' that will take decades to recover

A Sudanese man displaced by the war at a camp in Port Sudan, October 2024 (Islamic Relief)

By Oscar Rickett

Published date: 26 October 2024 10:14 BST | Last update: 6 hours 33 mins ago 

There were about 110 children at the camp in Port Sudan, all of whom had fled their homes because of the war. 

Sitting amid makeshift shelters made from plastic sheets, the children spoke with members of the psychosocial team from the charity Islamic Relief and described what had happened to them. They drew pictures of men with guns, men killing people, houses burning and worlds ending.

One little boy, about six or seven years old, approached Waseem Ahmad, Islamic Relief’s CEO, and asked if he had any sweets. “I could tell he was malnourished,” Ahmad told Middle East Eye. “I asked him what he had been eating and he said he’d eaten whatever he could find on the way – grass and insects.”

Ahmad gave him two sweets. The boy told him he would save one for his sister and brought Ahmed to meet her and their mother. “She said she didn’t know where her husband was,” Ahmad recalled. 

Fighting in her native Sinja, in Sudan's southeastern Sennar state, had forced the woman to flee with her children on foot. With daytime temperatures topping 40C and armed groups along on the roads, she led her children through bush, jungle and forest at night. 

It took the family 12 days to get away from the fighting. Eventually, they made it to Port Sudan, the Red Sea city now hosting the country’s army-aligned government and hundreds of thousands of people displaced by the war that began in April 2023.

The mother shared with Ahmad how, during her 300km journey with her family, she would periodically hear the screams and cries of other women. The Rapid Support Forces (RSF), the paramilitary force that was once connected to the Sudanese army but now fighting against it, has been “ripping women and young girls away from their relatives”, Ahmad explained, recounting conversations he had with some of those women during his recent trip to Port Sudan.

In RSF-controlled areas, abductions and assaults often occur at roadblocks. To avoid this, the boy's mother steered her family away from vehicle-accessible paths. “People are using rape and violence as a weapon of war,” Ahmad said, referring to the RSF. 

Thinking back to his initial encounter with the boy, Ahmad said: “Such an innocent young boy, asking me if I have sweets. At this age, how is that possible?” 

War in Sudan

The humanitarian, who has worked in this field for 24 years, returned to this theme during an interview with MEE a day after he returned from a week-long trip to Sudan. Islamic Relief is currently operating in Port Sudan, Gedaref, Central Darfur, West Kordofan, and North Kordofan.

The war, now 18 months old, has forced nearly 3 million Sudanese to leave the country, while the International Organization for Migration (IOM) reports that almost 11 million people have been internally displaced. 

'What I saw in the eyes of women who went through sexual violence, who had their children killed in front of them... This is not something you want in this century' - Waseem Ahmad, Islamic Relief CEO

No official or reliable statistics are available for the number of people killed in the ongoing conflict, which began in the capital Khartoum, spread to Darfur, and extended into other states. Ahmad says that his team in Sudan estimates the death toll could already be as high as 200,000.

In Darfur, the vast western region that has seen conflict for much of the 21st century, the RSF has been targeting non-Arab groups, especially the Black African Masalit people, in what humanitarian groups have called an ongoing genocide. 

Ahmad spent a year in 2005 working in el-Geneina, the capital of West Darfur, in a camp that housed 20,000 people. 

The Janjaweed militias, deployed by the authoritarian government of former President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, had been charged with crushing rebellion in Darfur. They killed an estimated 300,000 people in the process. 

In 2013, Bashir took the Janjaweed and turned it into the Rapid Support Forces, placing it under the aegis of the state and installing one of its commanders, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, the RSF general better known as Hemeti, as his “protection”. 

“I see the conflict of 2005 as nothing compared to what is happening now,” Ahmad told MEE. “This war is going to leave long-term scars. This generation - there’s a need for them to be supported. It will take decades.” 

In el-Geneina, where Ahmad once worked, the current war has taken a brutal toll. Residents describe a city full of rotting corpses and recount to MEE a litany of crimes committed by RSF fighters, including rape, abduction and murder.

Getting aid into Sudan

Throughout the war, aid agencies have been unable to reach large parts of the country. At a meeting in Britain’s parliament in April, Michael Dunford, East Africa director for the World Food Programme, said that convoys of trucks carrying vital aid had taken six weeks to cross Sudan. 

Ahmad said that at checkpoints run by both the Sudanese army and the RSF, some commanders will not let trucks carrying aid go through and that fighters are looking to extract bribes. Islamic Relief has handed over 6 tonnes of medicine, but as Ahmad says, “children cannot wait weeks for antibiotics”, which have a shelf life.

Ahmad arrived in Port Sudan via Nairobi and Ethiopia, where the small plane he was on had to stop for refuelling. The Red Sea city is a small place and is not built to handle the number of people now living there. Prices in the city have soared, with a small lunch now costing as much as $20, leaving locals struggling to make ends meet.

Waseem Ahmad, CEO of Islamic Relief, in Port Sudan, in October 2024 (Supplied)

“Every day, I could see buses and cars queuing up and entering Port Sudan,” Ahmad said. He could also see the flags of Turkey, Egypt and Russia flying on buildings – all three have embassies or consulates in Port Sudan and have close relationships with Sudan’s army-aligned government.

At Alsinaeya camp and school on the outskirts of Sudan, Islamic Relief provides food, water, shelter, cash distribution and a psychosocial programme for children.

“We are providing $200 per family when they arrive in the camp,” Ahmad said. “We do this every month to give them some dignity. Some of the donors are reluctant to provide this cash, but it’s not easy to deliver the food that’s needed.”

The charity’s Sudan headquarters was previously in Khartoum, but the war forced it to relocate to Port Sudan, where it spends $5,000 a month on renting a building. Islamic Relief has reached 1.1 million people and hopes to reach 2 million in the next few months. 

One member of the Khartoum team described seeing a disabled, elderly woman shot dead by RSF fighters, who then took over her home. Another survivor in the camp described fighters shooting people indiscriminately. 

“They found children left on their own in the jungle,” Ahmad said. “Neighbours are taking care of children because they don’t know where the parents are. We don’t know what happens. We have heard reports of mass burial.” One child described people being buried alive, simply being thrown in a hole and tried to depict this in a drawing.

'A nightmare'

Ahmad spoke to three women in Port Sudan who had been sexually assaulted. “What I saw in the eyes of women who went through sexual violence, had their children killed in front of them, who had guns put to their heads. This is not something you want in this century,” he said.

With all this happening in Central Darfur, Islamic Relief’s team, which is from the local community, is having to work with the RSF, which controls the vast majority of Darfur. 

“The relationship with the RSF is a nightmare,” Ahmad said. The phone connection in Sudan is dreadful, too. Across the country, Islamic Relief has been held back by the fact that Microsoft, whose products the charity uses, is blocked due to sanctions.

When he landed back in London, Ahmad found it hard to describe what he had seen in Sudan. “I would say, as a humanitarian worker, the last four or five days really impacted me. It hit my brain hard,” he said. “I was speaking to my wife and I can’t describe the situation.”

With the war in Sudan, Israel’s wars in Lebanon and Gaza and Russia's invasion of Ukraine, this may be one of the bleakest times that many seasoned humanitarians have ever witnessed.

Ahmad thinks back to the children he met in Darfur in 2005. “They were born in the camp and now they are back there. Is this the world that we all dream of,” he asks.

“There needs to be political intervention. There needs to be an end to the violence. People need to be held accountable for doing all this to innocent people,” Ahmad says.

“How can we let this happen? And for how long? The cost will be a lost generation. A generation that will want to take revenge.”

[flamearm]

DONATION NOW ,EMERGENCY ��️‼️‼️‼️

[glitterdumpstermotel]

Donation protected

talk about Sudan! 🇸🇩

update: $568 / $5,000