Sudan’s refugees and returnees: Living in hope in South Sudan

Zainab

Zainab Mohamad is one of them.

Before the conflict, Zainab lived in Klakla Guba, Khartoum State, with her husband and three children, as well as her parents. She worked as a kindergarten teacher and sometimes took on extra jobs to support her family. Life was stable, then the war began.

“I fled Sudan with my children in October, months after the war broke out. But my husband remained behind,” she said.

Her journey to South Sudan was long and uncertain. In Rebek, a border town in Sudan, where she initially stopped, a cholera outbreak put their lives at risk. However, they managed to survive it, and after six months, they finally made it to Renk.

“Even without food, I felt safer.”

At the transit centre, she received shelter materials, blankets and some cash assistance from humanitarian organizations including International Rescue Committee, Agency for Technical Cooperation and Development and Oxfam. The support while not enough helped her survive, she said.

Zainab started a small business with the cash, which supports the family. However, her income is limited, and she can currently afford to send only one of her children to school. 

She hopes to return to Sudan one day.

Afarah 

For 24-year-old Afarah Adil, a returnee, the conflict halted her education.

“I was a secondary school student,” she said. “Now, completing my education is my biggest goal.”

Afarah lived in Jebel Ulia, Khartoum State and fled in November 2023 with her family, leaving behind her elder sister. In Renk, she struggles to meet basic needs.

“Food is not distributed regularly. Shelters wear out.”

Due to her mother’s age, her family was placed in a priority group and received cash, food and emergency shelter materials.

“Although the support is not enough, it has kept us alive,” she said.

She appealed for more in-kind support, such as sorghum, beans, lentils, oil and salt, since the money is not enough to last a whole month. 

Afarah has found occasional paid work with humanitarian organisations at the transit centre and made some new friends who have helped her to cope. But uncertainty remains, for her and for her three younger brothers, who have also not been able to return to school.

She hopes for peace and a chance to return to Sudan.

Malou

Malou Piot Malual is also a returnee who is currently selling charcoal to survive. 

In Khartoum, he worked as a builder, earning enough to support his extended family.

“Life was good,” he said.

When conflict erupted, he fled with his wife, children and mother. Several family members remained behind.

What he witnessed still haunts him.

“I saw my neighbours being killed, and one of my friends was shot in the arm.”

Malou left Khartoum in June 2023. On arrival in Renk, he received a one-time support package consisting of cash and shelter materials. 

“I want to acknowledge that even though the assistance was one-off, it made me feel human and valued. The plastic sheets provided a home for us,” he said. 

Over time, he has built a network of friends who support one another through daily challenges. But food shortages persist. He hopes for in-kind food assistance, as cash only covers limited needs for a short time.

He prays that peace will soon return to both Sudan and South Sudan. 

More help needed

For people like Zainab, Afarah and Malou, the crisis in Sudan cannot end soon enough. 

Humanitarian assistance remains a lifeline for them and their families, and your support can change their lives.