When the conflict in Sudan erupted a year ago in April 2023, Plan International employee and new mother, Nahid Ali, woke up to the sound of guns and cannons. After days of fighting, Nahid and her family fled Khartoum in the middle of the night. Read Nahid’s story as she goes from humanitarian worker to a person in need of support – and back again.
“I still remember the day a year ago, 15 April 2023, it was a terrible day. Our family was going through its worst moments.
We were living in Khartoum, the capital of Sudan. I was scared because I didn’t know what was going to happen. We woke up to the sound of guns and cannons, and my seven-year-old daughter was screaming with fear. She asked me what was happening, but I had no answer for her.
I had given birth 21 days earlier and I was still recovering from the operation.
We were under attack for days. The electricity was cut off and we were short of food and water. I was worried about the other members of our family who lived in other badly damaged areas of Khartoum.
At first, I tried to stay calm myself and used everything I had learned to help my daughter stay calm. When the situation escalated, I forgot all the theories and focused only on getting my family safely out of Khartoum.
One dark night we decided to leave. I gathered all my courage and determination. As we drove out of the city in the early hours of the morning, I listened to the children crying and thought of all the consequences of the devastation and the whole disaster.
We travelled more than 700 kilometres to Kassala, where we arrived in the middle of the day. Although I had been to Kassala several times, this time felt different. It was the first time I had been forced to leave my home and Khartoum.
We lost everything in Khartoum: our home, our car, our furniture, our most important documents such as our passports, our school and birth certificates, our friends – even our hearts! All we took with us was a small bag with some clothes for the children. But we are lucky to be alive.
When we arrived in Kassala, I interrupted my maternity leave to help other Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs). I used my personal social media channels to help the IDPs get shelter, food and clothes. It made me feel better and I am very proud of the humanitarian work I have done and the support I have been able to give to people in crisis.
It took a long time to adapt to the new situation. But my family believes in me and relies on me. That is why I have tried to stay strong even in the most difficult moments, when I was depressed and hopeless for my future and that of my children.
Our thoughts are constantly on the front line with our colleagues still in Kordofan and Darfur and we pray for them. They are under fire, yet they are determined to stay and help the most vulnerable people.
Last spring, fighting spread to central Sudan in the state of Al Jazeera. Millions of people fled Al Jazeera to safer areas, including Kassala, where we are. Many of them lost everything and are now living in schools without food, cash or the opportunity to provide education for their children.
Schools have been closed for more than a year because of the fighting and the millions of internally displaced people. In some places, IDPs who have been accommodated in schools have been able to be relocated elsewhere, but not here. That’s why I decided to put my daughter in online learning.
My daughter complains because she misses her friends, teachers and in-person lessons. Also, the constant power cuts and poor internet connections have made it difficult to study, but I will do everything I can to ensure that my daughter’s education remains our top priority. My daughter still remembers her old room, her toys and her friends, whom she misses very much. Whenever she hears the sounds of fighting in our neighbourhood, she cries. She is always worried when I am away from her, for example at work or on other necessary errands. Sometimes I take her to the office or she goes with her father to relax.
Right now the situation is extremely frightening, dangerous and confusing, and the number of victims is growing. This week the conflict spread to new safe areas. Even eastern Sudan is under threat, with thousands of internally displaced people arriving every day, desperate for food and shelter.
We are scared and unsure of what we should do. If attacks spread to our territory, we have no idea what will happen to us and where we can flee.
My focus is on helping the most vulnerable members of our society, especially children and girls. Even though the electricity and internet are constantly cut off, we will continue our work and help people in need.
I can’t believe how dramatically my life has changed. When I looked at the pictures I took of our house, I thought I was in a dream from which I would soon wake up. Then I realised that this is our real life and we cannot escape it.”
Nahid Ali, Plan International’s campaign and communications coordinator in Sudan.
