By james art UN calls conflict ‘one of the worst humanitarian catastrophes in recent years’
Sudanese students at the University of Birmingham are campaigning for greater attention to the conflict in Sudan after devastating clashes left the country in ruins.
On 15 April 2023, armed conflict broke out in Khartoum between the Rapid Support Paramilitary Forces and the Sudanese Armed Forces.
The ensuing conflict resulted in the world’s largest displacement crisis, the world’s largest hunger crisis, tens of thousands of civilian deaths, and a severe crisis of targeted violence against Sudanese women.
UN experts called the conflict “one of the worst humanitarian catastrophes in recent years.” But despite the scale of the humanitarian crisis, it has become popularly known as the “forgotten war”.
Sudanese students at the University of Birmingham who have been directly affected by the war, many of whom have loved ones back home, are now campaigning to bring more attention to the crisis.
University of Birmingham’s Sudanese Society vice-president Zubida Hirei shared her thoughts: “Sudan is starving in this war, in desperate need of humanitarian aid while the world ignores its very existence.”
She added: “We aim to embody the life and atmosphere of Sudan through our patriotism and open arms to different cultures at our university events. I believe that through this, much-needed conversations for change can take place, because while the world may fold its arms, we choose to extend ours.”
Pharmacy graduate Mahmoud Taha, who fled the conflict in Khartoum and now lives in Egypt, told The Birmingham Tab about his experiences.
“I was at home when I first heard the blasts. I knew the war had started, but we didn’t expect the fighting to spread to our neighborhood so quickly,” he said.
Mahmoud Taha
“We had heard of other families being attacked and killed, so we stayed in our household.
“The fighting was during Ramadan, so we were fasting in our homes while the explosions and gunfire raged outside. When we ran out of food in our house, some of the men traveled to get water from a nearby well so that the family could talk.
“It was extremely dangerous and we prayed every time we went out that we wouldn’t run into RSF soldiers.”
He added that he was afraid his house would be stormed and taken, so he “grabbed a few belongings, organized a minivan” for his family and neighbors and left for Egypt.
“The journey was terrible and when we got there the men were refused entry so we had a long journey which included a van ride through the desert and spending some time in Wadi Halfa. Now we are in Egypt, but we miss our homes; we miss what we left behind and it’s terrible that the world doesn’t care about Sudan.
Mahmoud also shared his thoughts on what needs to be prioritized after the war: “When this war is over, the criminals must be held accountable for what they have done to civilians, the Sudanese people must look beyond tribal differences and accept each other, the new generation of Sudanese youth must lead the country and the Sudanese people must return with new attitudes to restore the country.”
He said: “We need the world to hear us and we need the world to see what’s going on. Pay attention to Sudan, don’t forget us.”
The Sudan Society of the University of Birmingham is organizing events to raise awareness of the crisis and plans to support relief efforts through its fundraising campaigns, which aim to provide aid to survivors and support missions on the ground.