Elsadig Elnur, hiding in his home in Khartoum with his family, is considering escaping to a nearby village.
“I can’t decide whether to spend the winter here or leave Khartoum,” said Islamic Relief’s regional director. I. “You can be shot.”
For the past six days, since fighting broke out between Sudanese forces and the RSF militant group, Mr. His daughter and young son have been part of the family living in his home.
“The conflict is over [us]”, he said. “I hear shots. The situation is unpredictable.”
Mr. Elnur heard that about 70 percent of hospitals were closed due to shortages or bombing, and four doctors died last week. According to him, frightened patients leave the wards, despite serious health problems.
He despairs for his country. “This is a catastrophic event,” he said. “This is the worst decision of these two warring factions. This is a time when Sudan is experiencing economic recession, political instability and hyperinflation. Now is not the time to start wars.”
When banks are closed, no one has access to the money to buy groceries left in stores. There was no light for almost five days. Airports are closed, wiping out any hope of escape.
” [fighting] will harm the country for years to come,” he concluded. “I’m afraid for my family. I don’t know what will happen. Pray for us.”
Mr. Elnur said food prices are now six times higher due to shortages. While his family can use the remaining money to quickly buy things from stores, others, he says, have a much harder time.
Hussam El-Mughamar from London, a member of the Sudanese organization Physicians for Human Rights, communicates daily via WhatsApp with relatives hiding in their homes in Khartoum.
In the early days of hostilities, his family used the app to buy groceries from supermarkets instead of cash. Now the app doesn’t work anymore and it’s too dangerous to leave the house.
“They just eat what’s left in the house,” he said. “They use flour or grain for cooking. There is nothing fresh. You’re just having fun.
“If someone leaves the house, he risks his life. People were shot for food or water. It cannot be a deliberate shot – it can be a stray bullet or a shot.
He said the fans and air conditioners weren’t working because the electricity was on from time to time when his relatives were in a hurry to charge their phones. “The heat is unbearable, and the windows cannot be opened. Heat, dehydration and stress weigh on them. It’s heartbreaking to talk to them.”
Mr. El-Mugamar fears that the warring troops are also running out of food and will start looting people’s homes.
Katharina von Schroeder, who cuddled up with her eight-year-old son at a school in Khartoum, said her initial composure was fading.
“I’m getting more and more nervous because there are no solutions,” says the 43-year-old Save the Children employee. I.
You can hear the children playing in the background. “He asks questions,” she said of her son. “He asks about his dog that we left at home, which is a tragedy, but we are risking our lives to get the dog. I hope someone can catch him.”
A group of six children and four adults eat and drink in the cafeteria and can use electricity as the school has an independent power source.
“This is better than what I hear from others,” she said. “Many are running out of food, water and money. The water supply was cut due to the fighting, leaving much of the city without running water. The healthcare system has collapsed.”
Frau von Schroeder can hear the sounds of combat even during the supposed ceasefire. “It’s really intense,” she said. “We hear pops and noises from heaven and earth. We have to go down to the basement several times. We sleep there for safety. It’s a terrible situation.”
On Friday, Frau von Schroeder heard a story that shocked her. “I received news that 160 orphans are in an orphanage,” she said. “The sisters are gone. There are no shares.”
She advocates that the combatants protect civilians and children and that a humanitarian corridor be opened for the release of people.
“We would evacuate if we had the opportunity,” she said. “If there is peace [Save the Children] will resume work because people have great needs.”
Mr. El Mugammar’s family told him that people were trying to leave the city of more than six million people.
“Some people were shot,” he said. “Some people have achieved success and dispersed to the surrounding towns and villages. Some move within Khartoum to a place they consider less dangerous. But if this fight continues, there will be no safe place.”
He suspects the UK will not want refugees fleeing the conflict as they struggle to leave Khartoum.
“The international community must recognize that this could cause huge problems,” he said. “Everything has to happen, and now. This does not mean that they should intervene, but what else can we do to end the fighting and stop it quickly, because it will have a huge impact on the region and the world.”
Source: I News
I am Michael Melvin, an experienced news writer with a passion for uncovering stories and bringing them to the public. I have been working in the news industry for over five years now, and my work has been published on multiple websites. As an author at 24 News Reporters, I cover world section of current events stories that are both informative and captivating to read.