Sudan holds a unique place in my heart. I spent several months there, from October 2022 till end of July 2023, during a period of significant events. What began as support for refugees and underserved local communities in specific project locations suddenly escalated into navigating a devastating conflict.
The day the war broke out is recorded in my memory. It was a Saturday morning, and my phone was buzzing with messages and alerts. At that time, I was away from Khartoum, visiting our project for Ethiopian refugees and host communities, in Umrakuba camp, Gedaref State. Realising the gravity of the situation, we had to cancel the activities we had scheduled for that visit.
During the first days, everything was about organising the evacuations and ensuring the security of our teams and patients, in Khartoum, Omdurman and Geneina.
The thought of leaving Sudan, despite being near the border, never crossed my mind. In a couple of days, Khartoum was turned from a stable capital into a desolated war zone. And a new wave of violence had erupted in several areas of the country and across Darfur.
What I remember the most from the following period is not the destruction I saw, but the resilience and kindness of the people, despite the violence, displacements, and extreme conditions they had to endure. My Sudanese colleagues were always checking on me and making me feel at home, working around the clock to launch our new emergency interventions in Khartoum state, setting up our new bases in Wad Madani and Port Sudan, and keeping the activities running in Al-Gedaref state.
