Two years ago today, on April 15, 2023, conflict broke out in Sudan, sparking what is now the world’s largest humanitarian crisis. Over half the population is facing crisis levels of hunger, and hundreds of thousands of people are already living in famine-like conditions. The fighting has forced 8.9 million people to flee their homes within Sudan, and another 3.8 million seeking refuge in neighbouring countries.
In March, Stefan Epp-Koop, senior manager of humanitarian and nexus programming, visited Wedweil Refugee Camp in South Sudan and witnessed the impact firsthand. This is one person’s story, a glimpse into the human cost of a conflict that continues to uproot lives:
For most of his life, Abdul* lived in Nyala, Sudan, where he enjoyed a good life. He was a successful barber, his business easily supporting his family. But when war broke out in Sudan in April 2023, the effect on civilians like Abdul and his family was immediate. Abdul feared that he and his 15-year old son would be forced to join the rebel army and worried for the safety of his daughters. The danger convinced him to leave his life behind and walk eight days to South Sudan, where he has lived in the Wedweil Refugee Camp for the past 18 months. This is where I met him, as part of a recent visit to northern South Sudan to understand the hunger and displacement crisis in the region.
In Abdul’s words, “life is terrible here.” The food that is provided in the camp only lasts a week a month, forcing him to beg from neighbours with smaller families who can stretch their food further. There are no health services, at least none that he can afford. An untreated eye issue has left him unable to resume work as a barber. For a long time there was no clean water, although the nearby water point has recently been fixed. When asked if he has dreams for the future, he responded simply that he did not. It is difficult to think of dreams, he said, when your stomach is empty.
Abdul and I are roughly the same age. We are both fathers. Before Abdul’s life was affected by war we both led relatively comfortable lives. So, as he told his story, I imagined my own life turned upside-down. I imagined the difficult decisions that Abdul has made as a parent to keep his children safe. I would hope that if my life followed a similar trajectory, there would be people there to support me through a challenging time.
Sadly, the world appears to be abandoning Abdul and the 20,000 other people who live in Wedweil – along with people experiencing need around the world. Even as more people arrive in search of safety, organizations working in the camp have been forced to reduce services. Many countries have reduced assistance including, most dramatically, the United States.
Some have justified these cuts as part of a reprioritization of government resources. More odiously, some have suggested that international assistance is wasteful and corrupt, merely lining the pockets of government officials.
There are undoubtedly ways to improve the international assistance system. But the real impact of these cuts will not be felt by high-flying consultants or manipulative politicians. When I imagine the impact of the cuts, I see people like Abdul. People who are impacted by events beyond their making and who are now left without schools for their children, clinics for treatment, safe water to drink, or food to eat.
I believe that all people – whether Canadian, or Sudanese, or anything else – do not deserve to suffer starvation or easily preventable diseases or even the hopelessness that pervades Wedweil. The people I met in Wedweil were just as human as me, just as deserving of dignity and respect.
I would hope that should my home be affected by a conflict or a natural disaster, if I was forced to flee with my family for safety, that people would be there to help me. For now, let’s be there for Abdul.
*Names have been changed for safety.
To donate, visit foodgrainsbank.ca/sudan.
