Today marks the two-year anniversary of the conflict in Sudan, which has resulted in the loss of over 150,000 lives.
The United Nations has described it as the worst humanitarian crisis globally.
Since the Sudanese Armed Forces and the powerful paramilitary group, the Rapid Support Forces, ignited a brutal power struggle in April 2023, approximately 12 million people have been forced to leave their homes.
About 200 Irish citizens and their dependents were evacuated, alongside individuals from other countries who were in Sudan when the fighting erupted on April 15 of that year.
She was at her home in Ireland preparing to travel to Sudan to celebrate Eid with her family, including her new niece, born prematurely.
Safa El-Tom reported that her family managed to reach safety in Egypt after enduring an eight-day wait at the border.
There were also wedding festivities on the horizon, as her best friend’s daughter was about to get married.
However, on the morning of April 15, she awoke to a video on her phone showing gunfire at Khartoum’s airport, where her brother-in-law was present.
In the following days, she spoke daily with her sister and family, with the sounds of an “all-out war” evident in the background.
Becoming emotional, she recounted: “In addition to the military aircraft, I could hear the baby crying. I was shouting … are you alive, are you alive?”
MSF stated that millions are still lacking food, medical care, and essential life-saving services.
She mentioned that her family finally reached safety in Egypt after a costly bus ride and eight days waiting at the border.
“One of the first families to cross was my cousin’s family—his wife and daughters,” she shared.
However, her cousin remained in Sudan with his son, as boys under 15 were not permitted to cross.
Read more: UN chief calls for an end to the flow of weapons to Sudan
“Hundreds of families left their boys behind, awaiting some form of security clearance,” she stated.
Safa reflected: “These past two years have been filled with terrifying stories every single day.”
She has only recently witnessed the destruction of her family home following the army’s retaking of areas in Khartoum and the retreat of the RSF fighters.
“In these two years, Khartoum has been devastated beyond imagination,” and her home suffered significant damage.
Recent photographs reveal that her father’s library was ransacked, all valuables taken, and the garden destroyed.
Before the war erupted, she had no plans of returning there.
“Yet now, with all this devastation, how can we not go back?” she asked.
“If not us, then who will rebuild? We are the least traumatized, and we are the only ones who can start because everyone else needs to rebuild their lives.”
There have been calls for warring factions to ensure the protection of civilians and humanitarian efforts.
“So, we have to return. I don’t see it as a matter of choice anymore; it’s a matter of necessity and duty,” Safa added.
A return won’t be happening anytime soon, however.
“I believe a post-war Sudan is still far off in the future. This conflict is far from over,” she explained.
As the conflict enters its third year, Médecins Sans Frontières noted that millions remain “unseen, bombed, besieged, displaced, and deprived of food, medical care, and basic lifesaving services.”
MSF reiterates its calls on the warring sides and their allies to protect civilians, humanitarian personnel, and medical teams, and to remove all restrictions on the movement of humanitarian supplies and staff, especially with the rainy season approaching swiftly.
In a statement to RTÉ News, Sue Bucknell, Deputy Head of Mission for MSF in West Darfur, stated, “Here, as in many areas of Sudan, we witness a complete collapse of the health system, with about 70% of health facilities non-operational since the war began.”
“Currently, we are primarily supporting pediatric care, and we continue to see a high volume of patients, particularly with vaccine-preventable diseases,” she noted.
“In the last six to eight weeks, we’ve recorded around 200 cases of measles, which highlights the breakdown of the health system over the past two years, as children no longer have access to routine immunizations, leading to these outbreaks,” she added.
‘It’s hard to believe it’s been two years. It feels like so much longer’ – Dr. Amin Kheir
Dóchas, the Irish Network of Humanitarian and Development Organisations, emphasized the urgent need for an immediate and sustained ceasefire to help bring an end to this brutal conflict.
It highlighted that there are currently 3.7 million cases of children under five, along with pregnant or breastfeeding women, requiring treatment for acute malnutrition, with famine declared in five provinces.
It is anticipated that famine will also be declared in five additional provinces before May.
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Dr. Amin Kheir, an Irish citizen who was visiting his family in Khartoum when the fighting broke out, remarked: “It’s hard to believe it’s been two years. It feels like much longer.”
“This experience stays with me every day, but I consider myself one of the fortunate ones,” Dr. Kheir added.
He remarked: “The situation in Sudan is even worse now compared to two years ago. People are dying every day; the circumstances are dire.
“45,000 children have lost their lives due to malnutrition, and in just the last few days, RSF has been bombing refugee camps, leading to the deaths of hundreds. Yet, this is rarely mentioned anymore, which is truly disheartening.”
“The situation in Sudan has been described by the UN as the largest humanitarian crisis in the world at present. Sadly, it is a forgotten crisis,” Dr. Kheir concluded.
