Khartoum Rises From Beneath the Rubble (1–3)
Sudanhorizon – Mohamed Mustafa Al-Mamoun
I returned to Khartoum in mid-July and toured the state’s seven localities — some on foot, others by public transport, and finally by private car.
I would be lying if I said the capital had recovered by then. There was no reason to mislead people by beautifying the rubble of war or masking the distorted and frightening scenes, the negative behaviours, or the visual disfigurement.
The localities of Khartoum, East Nile, Omdurman and Khartoum North resembled one vast village shrouded in darkness, overrun by thickets of weeds, settled by disease, besieged by lawlessness, and swarming day and night with insects and disease-carrying vectors.
Dark Signals:
During my passage through both old and new neighbourhoods, I did not see a single indicator that could suggest the presence of a city inhabited by people. Everything was absent — except for markets known as “Daglo Markets”, selling anything and everything, whether lawful or unlawful.
Some items on sale were “hot”, but one could not point this out unless one had proof to support the claim.
All services were non-existent: water, health care, medical treatment — even the state’s executive bodies. Literally, Khartoum had become nothing but a “jungle”, unfit for human life.
I hesitated to publish my reports despite Sudanhorizon’s editorial management’s insistence on presenting a picture of the situation in the state. I preferred not to speak to any government official until I had recorded, with my own eyes, a written portrait of reality.
A Picture of Things:
Until only a few weeks ago, the situation was extremely dire: soaring prices and shortages in many neighbourhoods; hundreds of patients suffering from mosquito-borne diseases such as malaria and dengue fever; broken potable-water pipes; and floodwater overflow.
What heightened fear and anxiety were the sounds of gunfire at night, the early-morning visits of drones, unlicensed vehicles moving about, and armed soldiers stationed with civilians in markets and cafés.
The city’s streets — a complete canvas of potholes, bumps and distortions:
Burnt and destroyed cars filled squares, roads, neighbourhoods and open spaces. War debris remained piled in passageways.
Nothing gave cause for optimism. People gathered in takaayā (community kitchens), seeking refuge because there were no workplaces and no jobs to earn an income. Everyone was on enforced leave.
Khartoum Rises:
Only now, since late November, can we truly say that Khartoum is rising from beneath the rubble.
For the past fifteen days, government bodies, popular initiatives and organisations have been racing against time to bring about real change on the ground in the capital — preparing Khartoum to receive its people, who were displaced from their homes by the war waged by the UAE and the Janjaweed, as part of an international conspiracy aimed at emptying the capital — and Sudan as a whole — while creating projects and programmes to rehabilitate the capital in readiness for the return of those coming back from the diaspora and from displacement centres in the eastern and northern states.
As you move through Khartoum’s neighbourhoods, you witness intense, sustained activity led by the Supreme Committee, which has placed the restoration of security, water, and electricity services at the top of its priorities.
Lines in a Week:
These are lines written over a week in the path of reconstruction. Today’s Khartoum is not recovering through stones alone… it is recovering in spirit.
Institutions are returning, streets are being illuminated, and services are reorganising — as if to affirm to everyone that the capital, despite its wounds, is a city that does not know defeat.
The Return of Life:
Amid many details, a new scene is taking shape under one title:
“The return of life… and the path of reconstruction has begun.”
To Be Continued:
In the second instalment, we will present state and federal government efforts and the contributions of community initiatives.
In the third and final instalment, we will examine the shortcomings — and what people are saying.
Shortlink: https://sudanhorizon.com/?p=9300