Man who was torn apart from his loved ones due to conflict and suffered a gunshot wound, finally makes his way back home after a long span of two years.
In a disheartened, makeshift shelter amidst Sudan's capital, Munzir sits, his leg ensnared in gauze, his gaze dampened with a veil of despair. His story is one of countless civilians caught in the crossfire of Sudan's relentless conflict.
Two months prior, a stray bullet ravaged his leg in army-held territory in Omdurman. Hospitals dwindling, he was transferred to Al Nao Hospital, the last remaining functional facility in the vicinity. Following treatment and being confined to a wheelchair, he was brought to Osman Makkawi — a shelter for the disenfranchised, with no home to return to.
Munzir has spent two heart-wrenching years unable to visit his home in southern Khartouman as battles raged for control of the capital. Bridges, integral to his journey, had been targeted by snipers belonging to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), making them inaccessible for civilians like him.
At least 50,000 individuals have been separated from their families in the tumultuous first two years of Sudan's civil war, according to human rights groups. This devastating statistic is likely an underestimation of the actual number. Despite the army regaining Khartoum from the RSF in late March, the number of detainees freed and reunited with their families has done little to abate the staggering figure.
Munzir's family, it was reported, had fled to their ancestral home in Damazin, eastern Sudan. However, they lacked the means to make the perilous journey across the White Nile Bridge, connecting Omdurman to the heart of the capital.
Enter Mohamed Alfatih, a beacon of hope in a seemingly endless cycle of grief. He is the head of a charity called Resilience, running Osman Makkawi camp through donations, and tirelessly working to bridge the gap that war has created. With the aid of social media, he is able to piece together the fragments of families like Munzir's, reuniting them after unimaginable distances and time apart. "We have reunited 287 people with their families and we are set on Munzir becoming our 288th," Mohamed declared.
Munzir's uncle has been contacted via Facebook, surmising that Munzir's mother is still in her home in Mayo, southern Khartoum. However, Mayo remains filled with militants, and the military is known to displace civilians for security reasons.
Despite these obstacles, Mohamed remains steadfast in his pursuit of justice for Munzir. With a sense of hope mingled with apprehension, Munzir embarks on his first journey home since the war began. As he traverses the White Nile Bridge, taking in the shattered remnants of his beloved capital, he can only repeat a simple, fervent prayer: May my mother be there.
- Munzir, the wounded civilian, received treatment at Al Nao Hospital, the last functional hospital in his vicinity, following a life-altering incident in Omdurman during war-and-conflicts in Sudan.
- Policies and politics have underestimated the impact of war-and-conflicts, as at least 50,000 individuals in Sudan have been separated from their families, likely an underestimation of the actual number.
- General news reported that Munzir's family had fled to Damazin, eastern Sudan, but lacked the means to cross the White Nile Bridge, connecting Omdurman to Khartoum's heart.
- Despite the challenges and risks, Mohamed Alfatih, the head of Resilience, is striving to reunite Munzir with his family, using social media to bridge the gap created by war-and-conflicts in Sudan.
