Amid the chaos of Sudan’s ongoing civil war, refugees from Tuti Island are sharing their harrowing stories of survival.
Muhammad Awad and his family are among those who escaped the island earlier this year, after enduring months of hunger, disease, and constant fear.
Tuti Island, located in the Nile River, has become a symbol of the horrors of the war that erupted in April 2023.
Surrounded by conflict, the island’s residents have faced unimaginable hardships, with dwindling resources and growing health crises.
Awad, speaking from a shelter for displaced families in Omdurman, described the dire conditions: “There is no good food, and there’s a lot of diseases. There is no sleep, no safety,” he said, holding one of his children.
The toll of the war is staggering. A new report estimates that over 61,000 people have died in Khartoum state alone in the first 14 months of the conflict.
Tuti Island, like other regions of Sudan, faces the threat of famine. Experts warn that it is one of 14 places across the country at risk.
Health problems, particularly dengue fever, have ravaged the island’s close-knit farming community.
Sarah Siraj, who fled with her two children, said that six or seven people were dying daily.
She was only able to access medical care for her children once she reached Omdurman.
Charity kitchens that once provided relief in Khartoum and Tuti have closed, unable to cope with rising costs and a lack of supplies.
Rabeea Abdel Gader, a nutrition guide, described the overwhelming despair of mothers who arrive at shelters unable to even explain their suffering.
