Seven months after the start of Sudan’s civil war, conditions for many in the capital, Khartoum, are worse than ever – but some of those who escaped from the city in the early days are also struggling to survive.
Abdul-Aziz Hussein – whose name has been changed for his safety – took the decision in April to stay in Khartoum. He never thought the fighting between the army and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) would last so long.
“We are still besieged, and the fighting has not stopped,” he tells me when I get through by telephone.
“The RSF have penetrated the area and caused havoc, while the army is shelling their positions within the neighbourhood. Death could come at any moment.”
An estimated 5,000 Sudanese people have already been killed in crossfire between these two warring branches of the military, while many more have been injured.
With his wife and three children, the 45-year-old teacher is now desperate to leave. Last month they almost did, but the fighting around their home in the suburb of Kalakla was too intense.
The area is now a ghost town, the family has not eaten for two days and even water is hard to find. Electricity, Mr Hussein says, is a rare luxury.
The second time I call, Mr Hussein tells me that marauding RSF soldiers are looting shops and people’s homes.
Source: bbc.com
