Sudanese group pleads for humanitarian aid as fighting rages in African country

The chair of the Sudanese Association of the Maritimes, Huwaida Medani, says the East African country is in immediate need of humanitarian support and medical supplies, amid heavy fighting between two warring factions.

Tensions came to a head earlier this month after power-sharing negotiations broke down between the armed forces and a paramilitary group called the Rapid Support Forces.

Since violence erupted on April 15, hundreds of people have been killed and thousands injured, while others have been displaced. Many have been left without electricity, food and water.

Medani has family in the Sudanes capital, Khartoum, where much of the fighting has been concentrated.

She spoke with CBC Radio's Portia Clark to talk about what is happening in the country, and how she thinks the Canadian government can help.

Their conversation has been edited for clarity and length.

People are trapped. Some people are getting attacked in their own homes. What are you hearing from people in Khartoum?

Yes, indeed, yes, yes. That is what is happening. They have been living in this, [experiencing] attacks and, you know, shelling and killing, since the 15th of this month.

How are you hearing that? I understand power and phone connections have been interrupted by the bombing.

Yeah, there is a lot of interruption in communication. But some people [have stayed] online in one way or another. Some people have better connection and I'm following through friends on Facebook and other social media platforms, as well as over the phone and through WhatsApp, and of course through the community here in the Maritimes.

So you're hearing directly from people that they're stuck inside their homes trying to wait this out. Has the ceasefire made a difference?

A little bit. That's definitely, definitely helpful. However, the streets are not, they're still not safe. I have a niece who just left yesterday and they could sleep for the first night, really last night because she's outside of Khartoum now with her two kids.

But as I mentioned, although there is this ceasefire, there is a lot of looting, there is a lot of violence on the street. People can be robbed, people are robbed inside their houses and actually some of the Rapid Support Forces, they enter people's houses to use that as shelter from the military. It's just, it is beyond catastrophic. It's unimaginable.

I can hear in your voice how worried you are about your family. Did you say some of them managed to get out?

Yes, only yesterday, and that has been very nerve-racking. I have two of my sisters and their family. They managed to get out after four days in the fight. But my niece just left yesterday and she arrived safely at 6 p.m. Sudan time, which is around midnight here. She has a five year old, a two and half year old, and she's heavily pregnant.

And where are people going if they are able to get out?

They're going to [safer] provinces, especially Al Jazirah province. Despite the misery and everything happening in this world, there are a lot of beautiful initiatives taken by the Sudanese there and what is called the resistance committees that had been organized for the last four years. 

My niece went to Al Jazirah province and like so many other people who are displaced, she was welcomed in Al Jazirah. They have signs on the highway welcoming people and directing them where to go. They have set up some schools as shelters and a lot of houses are open for people who are displaced.

They may not have much to return to. It depends what happens next. What's your understanding of where this could go as these two forces clash over control of Khartoum, but also the government of Sudan?

The situation has been really, really scary and very, very sad because we know that four years ago we had the most inspiring revolution — the revolution to change the Muslim extremist regime that was there for 30 years. 

We were so hopeful, but unfortunately that hope changed into misery now and sadness, and seriously, nobody knows what will happen to Sudan. Some of those unruly militia, even the military is another militia. It is a militia fuelled by the Muslim extremists from the previous regime. 

So yes, it's very, very unpredictable and quite sad.

Yes. Such a distance from the dream of democracy that people had briefly. What would you say to the Canadian government about how it should be responding?

The immediate need really is to support humanitarian support and especially medical support for people who are stuck, especially in Khartoum. But I will tell you something, there is scarcity everywhere. There is looting. Factories that produce medication, especially medication, and so they immediately need humanitarian and medical basic needs. 

That is what is needed now. And of course, you know a lot of diplomatic work to stop the war. This war has to stop.

And here in Halifax and in the Maritimes, what are you doing here to help from a distance?

The least we could do now really is to fundraise, to help people who are helping people in Sudan. The Sudanese American Physicians Association (SAPA) has been working in Sudan with the grassroots organization for 40 years and they know how to take this support too. 

So we are trying to fundraise, helping them through the website. People can go and donate through that SAPA website. 

People are also welcome to send their donation to the Sudanese Association of the Maritimes and we'll make sure that we deliver all the donations to these places.

For more stories about the experiences of Black Canadians — from anti-Black racism to success stories within the Black community — check out Being Black in Canada, a CBC project Black Canadians can be proud of. You can read more stories here.