Tuti Suffers From Shortage of Medicine and Food, While Resisting RSF and Floods

Tuti – Sudanhorizon

In October 2015, the United Nations Disaster Risk Reduction Program chose Tuti Island, located at the confluence of the Blue and White Niles and located between the three capital cities (Bahri, Omdurman and Khartoum), among the top 10 areas in the world in using traditional skills and local culture to reduce the risks of floods.

It was ranked number 8 in the classification because it is surrounded by farms in an area of approximately 5 thousand acres, and it inspires poets, artists and other artists.

Tuti Island is one of the most important tourist attractions in Khartoum State with its distinguished location

and its permanent greenery and picturesque natural scenery.

Resisting Floods

The islanders continued to resist the annual flooding of the Blue Nile, until they became a model for others using traditional local means, and they used all Sudanese genius and surrounded it with a fence of burlap sacks stuffed with sand, and thus defeated the fiercest flood waves, and beautiful songs of chivalry and mobilization poured out of the people, like the song named “I liked the night, the atmosphere .. the sea anchored, they sang” performed by a son of the island, the late artist Hamad Al-Reeh.

Steadfastness in War

Just as the people of Tuti defeated the Nile with mobilization and popular resistance, they will defeat the war with resistance as well, as the Rapid Support Militia took the island’s distinguished location as a weapons cache and military dwelling from which they launch their artillery daily, shelling and terrorizing the residents inside and outside the island, and the only bridge linking Tuti and Khartoum, which represents the only entrance and exit, helped them tighten their control and siege on it.

According to information obtained by the Sudanhorizon news website, about 80 citizens, including young men, women, children and the elderly, were martyred either as a result of being bombed, or due to the lack of treatment, or under the influence of kidnapping and enforced disappearance, while the militia continues to arrest and abuse young men and the elderly.

Initial material losses were estimated at hundreds of millions of dollars due to the demolition of buildings, the looting of cars, ferries and property.

A Year without Services

The population is currently suffering from a shortage of food and supplies, and the interruption of electricity and water since August 7 of last year, in addition to the closure of treatment centers, which the militia has turned into centers for treating its wounded.

Takeeya and Baskets

To overcome the economic siege, the island’s residents and mosque committees have prepared food baskets and “Takeeya”(communal kitchens and rest stops where people can eat together without worrying about money) with the help of the people of the region in an epic of popular resistance and social solidarity.

Tragic Situation

TV producer Rasha Ibrahim, a resident of the area, says that Tuti is living in a tragic situation with a lack of water from the wells, the difficulty of bringing it from the Nile, and the Rapid Support Militia controlling everything that can be bought or sold, including allowing movement within the island.