Sudan country office director Dr Ismail Abdallah explains life in Sudan since crisis erupted fifteen months on
Fifteen months on we speak to the Director of our Sudan office Dr Ismail Abdallah who gives us a personal insight into what life is like in Sudan since the conflict.
1. What is happening in Sudan?
When the conflict in Sudan broke out on in April 2023, it was the last week of Ramadan and people were busy preparing themselves for the festival of Eid. My family too had plans to go to western Africa to meet my mother, and we had actively bought gifts. Little did we know a large-scale conflict would erupt in this sacred month due to a power struggle between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces.
Despite gun shots being fired every single day and violence soaring to unprecedented heights, I stayed in Khartoum, with my six daughters and two sons, thinking that the conflict will pass in a few weeks. But after three months in the month of July 2023, I decided to leave with my family and other Muslim Hands staff in search of stability and safety.
When we left Khartoum, we kept shifting to different districts, from Omdurman to Madani as well as Sennar and Qadarif. We settled in the northern part of Sudan; in the River Nile state, an area I had never visited until now.
War is painful and its consequences are difficult to grasp until you face and live them. In fifteen months, 12 million people have been forced to flee their homes with 10 million remaining in Sudan, creating the largest displacement crisis in the world. I never imagined that I would be included in this devastating UN statistic.
2. How is the conflict in Sudan affecting the population?
Before the outbreak of conflict, Sudan was already facing a humanitarian crisis due to extreme weather, social and political unrest, and rising food prices that continue to drive poverty, hunger and displacement.
Since the conflict in Sudan things have worsened. The death toll has reached over 15,000 people with over 25 million people now experiencing severe levels of acute food insecurity. Sadly, 19 million children are out of education and ongoing displacement continues to make it difficult to support those in need with consistent aid. No family in Sudan has been spared.
I can’t stop but think about the 950 orphans we were helping and what their future now holds. I used to go to the School of Excellence three times a week and spend time with the orphans, helping them to prosper. But our schools are now part of the 10,400 that have sadly been forced to close their doors. We have contacted 95% of our orphans, finding out their whereabouts and how they are managing under the difficult circumstances. Sadly, none of them are living in their own homes and are now displaced with many residing in IDP centres.
3. How are your charitable donations helping the people of Sudan?
During the time of conflict and ongoing violence your choices are limited. If I could have stayed in Khartoum I would have, but it was out of my control. Though we have located in the North of Sudan the project work continues. This includes providing emergency food parcels, benefitting 15 million displaced people in Al-Jazeera and the River Nile, outside of and during key religious periods such as Ramadan and Qurbani.
We left everything behind multiple times, and I can only imagine the families that walked trying to flee to safety with nothing but the clothes on their backs. The most important thing now is providing those displaced with the emergency items they need such as shelter, food, medicines and blankets. Providing consistent aid to those in desperate need is often met with difficulty as people continue to move in search of safety as the violence spreads, again leaving everything they have behind.
Muslim Hands in Sudan will continue to focus on providing hot meals and food parcels as hunger looms over the Sudanese people.
Your charitable donation of either Zakat and Sadaqah of £100 can provide a family with enough food to sustain them providing essential nourishment. A food parcel will contain all the basic items needed such as flour, rice, beans and oil.
4. How long has Muslim Hands been active in Sudan?
Muslim Hands started in Sudan in 2003, with our pioneering project established in 2005, the Muslim Hands first ever School of Excellence, aiming to provide all rounded support for orphan children. It was an idea that was ahead of its time and provided a structure to champion a successful orphan sponsorship scheme.
The school welcomed children of all backgrounds including those that had both parents so that the orphan students could feel equal to their peers but also be part of a wider community. We believed back then and still do, in the solid and quality education the school provides, so much so, that my own children attended the school, achieving excellent exam results. My daughter Rahma is now a qualified pharmacist and some of the orphan students have gone on to become doctors and engineers, which I’m immensely proud of.
It's no secret that the orphan sponsorship project is extremely dear to my heart. The reason being, Muslim Hands will ensure that each child receives everything that they need, such as food, their uniform, school equipment, check-ups, our ethos is that they deserve the best of everything and we are always mindful of why we do what we do, because it is for the sake of Allah SWT.
5. What can you do to help?
Muslim Hands is committed to continuing supporting those displaced in Sudan with emergency food parcels and hot meals. A charitable donation of £100 can provide a family with enough food to sustain them providing essential nourishment.
War is painful and it’s impacted the day to day for millions of Sudanese people. To provide an essential basic right, such as food, will continue to make such a huge difference to these families.
For the donors that have supported since the crisis began with their charitable donations of Zakat and Sadaqah, we send our sincerest thanks and duas. Please keep us and Sudan in your hearts and continue to donate.
Don't leave Sudan alone in their hour of need. Every donation is a lifeline.
