Escaping the Fire: A Young Mother’s Journey from Sudan with Her Disabled Child

Nawal, a 17-year-old mother, was on her way to the hospital in Khartoum with her one-year-old daughter, Nyakhan, when fighting broke out in Sudan. She managed to escape with her disabled child, but many others were not as fortunate. Dozens of infants, toddlers, and older children died in an orphanage in Khartoum due to lack of food and fever. Arafa, a 25-year-old mother, was at home alone with her two young children when fighting erupted in Khartoum. She managed to escape with her children, but the situation in Sudan remains dire. The capital has been at the center of a vicious urban battle between rival armies for nearly two weeks. The promise of democracy in Sudan seems to have come apart, and civilians are caught in the middle of the conflict.

Sudan is currently facing renewed violence, displacement, and an unprecedented need for humanitarian aid.The fierce fighting that began on April 15, 2023, has compounded the crisis across the country. According to the United Nations, since the fighting began, over 100,000 people have fled the country, and 300,000 people are displaced inside Sudan. The situation in Sudan is dire, and the capital has been at the center of a vicious urban battle between rival armies for nearly two weeks. The conflict has left hundreds of people dead, thousands more wounded, and hundreds of thousands displaced. The events in Sudan will likely have a ripple effect throughout the region, with people fleeing to neighboring countries such as Chad and Ethiopia. The conflict has been escalating in other areas of the country, including North Darfur, North Kordofan, South Darfur, Kassala, and Gedaref. The situation in Sudan is worsening an already huge humanitarian crisis, and the country’s humanitarian needs are already at an all-time high.