’́’Beginning of a new life" : Wil It Bring Hope For Missing Sudanese Women
27 April, 2025
Portsudan, (Sudanow)_
Amal stood behind her room's window, gazing outside, anticipating the break of dawn. Her journey would not be easy. Just a few days prior, her exams had finished, but after packing her bags in preparation to travel to her family residing in an Arab country, war erupted on the very day of her departure.
The airport was closed, and she remained stranded with a group of female students in their dormitory within the girls' boarding house in the heart of Khartoum. Life came to a standstill, and the capital transformed into a state of chaos.
Everyone was in a state of panic and fear. Some had fled its confines, escaping the relentless shelling by the rebel militia, while others searched for a safe haven away from the sounds of ammunition and the pervasive smell of gunpowder.
Roads were blocked and filled with rebels, and shocking news began to reach them about the militia's abuses against unarmed civilians. Therefore, they preferred to stay inside the dormitory rather than venture out into the streets due to the heavy gunfire and fear of militia attacks. They sent out distress calls and remained waiting for someone to evacuate them.
Amal managed to contact her family, and her uncle promised her that he would come that morning to take her and travel overland to Port Sudan, and from there to her parents in that Arab country. Amal did not move and remained by the window, waiting for him with bated breath. Suddenly, she felt a constriction in her chest and a lump in her throat, and tears streamed from her eyes. She wept as she remembered the moments of her arrival in her country, Sudan.
Happiness had overwhelmed her, for finally her dream of studying at a Sudanese university would be realized. Behind that dream were the stories her older brother used to tell about studying at the university, the scientific trips, visits to various Sudanese states, getting acquainted with their cultures and heritage, in addition to community activities and programs such as organizing medical, health, and educational convoys in support of rural people. All of this was the reason behind her insistence on studying at a university in Sudan, despite her parents' concerns due to her young age. But she came to study, and her happiness was even greater because she would be staying with her grandmother, whom she loved dearly. It was an eventful academic year, filled with new experiences. She was diligent, hardworking, and happy to be in Sudan until her grandmother passed away. With her loss, sadness and pain filled her life. She could not bear that separation, and every corner of the house reminded Amal of her. So, she moved to live in the girls' boarding house, and there she found a group with similar circumstances – young women far from their families, whether they were inside the country in distant states or abroad. They grew accustomed to living like sisters, sharing accommodation and food, and supporting each other.
Her gaze wandered into the distance, and her tears flowed profusely. She sobbed so loudly that her roommate woke up and began to calm her down. But suddenly, Amal fell silent and tried to silence her with hand gestures. Something strange was happening outside. Amira cautiously approached her, and they began to watch what was happening outside. The sun had not yet risen, but the visibility was clear. A group of vehicles stopped in front of the four-story dormitory building. A group of heavily armed rebels got out, and others spread out and surrounded the building from all directions. They did not storm the main gate, as if they were waiting for someone. Then, a group of trucks approached, and after that, the militia members forcibly stormed the gate with their armored vehicles, firing shots into the air and breaking into the building.
Chaos engulfed the place. The students were asleep and woke up to the sound of gunfire and the demolition of the gate, even those who had gotten up for the dawn prayer were shaken by the shock. They screamed in unison, unable to comprehend what was happening. A group of rebels filled the place, entering every room forcing them to go out and board the trucks. Some of them fainted from the shock. The supervisors (the dormitory administration) gathered their courage and tried to dissuade them from taking them out in those clothes and to let them take their belongings, thinking that they wanted the dormitory buildings to turn them into a military barracks. But they paid no attention to their words or pleas, instead beating them and firing shots at their feet, forcing them to board the trucks. As for the students who tried to resist and escape, they were bound with chains and thrown into the trucks.
All of this happened with unbelievable speed. Amal had not recovered from the shock; rather, she felt as if she were dreaming or watching a horror movie. The truck resembled prison transport vehicles but was several times larger. They closed the door on them with a latch and locks. For a moment, Amal felt suffocated. The truck was crowded and dark, the sound of moaning and crying was the only thing she could hear. She tried to stand up, but she couldn't, as there was a body lying on her feet. One of them had fainted from the severity of the beating.
Amal tried to scream, but her throat was dry, and no sound came out. She fainted.
Amal awoke to the sounds of loud fighting and an exchange of gunfire that lasted for a while, then one side fell silent. A cold breeze touched her small body. It was pitch dark; she couldn't make out what had happened, but it seemed they had opened the truck door. Silence prevailed over the place, but she knew that everyone had woken up and were hoping that the victorious side was the army that had come to rescue them. However, they heard their voices as they quarreled and how one of them had opened the truck and taken out a group of girls, and that the agreement was to divide them at (Khor Jahannam) after all the trucks arrived. Despair washed over them as the truth became clear: this was a kidnapping operation, and they were in some place far from any inhabited area, in the heart of the desert.
Suddenly, a group of girls fled from the truck, screaming, so they shot at them, the others were taken back to the truck after being beaten and chained, then the truck was closed, and she fainted again.
Amal woke up feeling as if she were drowning, but they had reached their final destination (Khor Jahannam), and they were pouring water on them to wake them up.
They were taken down from the truck, and water and food were offered to them. They refused to take even a sip of water. a new phase of oppression and humiliation began. Anyone who refused to eat or drink would have their clothes stripped off. They quickly accepted the food and water so as not to be subjected to that insult and humiliation. After that, they were led to a gathering place where people were assembled, resembling a market. They were lined up, men began to circle around them. Then they understood that this was a slave market, the auction had begun after the division was made, and they were the merchandise on display in the auction.
The world blurred in Amal's eyes, the ground spun beneath her, she began to repeat "Oh God" at the top of her voice.
Amira was gripping her hand tightly. Everyone stood before Amira, for she was very beautiful, but no one knew Amira. Her family used to call her "Princess" and sometimes "Pearl," for she was precious like pearls, as her father and brothers described her. She cherished that and boasted about her brothers' appreciation for her. They used to tell her that whoever wanted to marry her should pay her weight in gold because she was more precious than gold. Amal looked at her, people surrounded her, but blood was flowing from Amira's mouth and nose. Amal froze; she knew that Amira suffered from a stomach ulcer, and now, from the intensity of the humiliation, her intestines had ruptured. Amal held her as her body collapsed, and Amira fell to the ground, a lifeless body. Her pure soul departed that innocent body forever.
Amal screamed and fell beside her.
She felt painful blows to her body and head, but she heard a voice saying to her seller, "How much do you sell her for?" He said, "Three billion pounds." The buyer agreed, and Amal lost consciousness. She didn't know how long she remained unconscious, but she found herself surrounded by the family of Sayed Al-Khair, who had bought her to save her, and his daughters and wife were taking care of her.
This is the story of one of the survivors of the hell of the Daglo militia, where they were kidnapped from a girls' boarding house in central Khartoum, along with more than four hundred female students from other dormitories. They were displayed and sold in the slave market in (Khor Jahannam) on the Sudanese-Chadian border. This heinous crime is not the only one committed by that treacherous militia against the free women of Sudan. It reached the level of depravity with the rape of girls, minors, married women, and even elderly women were not spared.
Sometimes, this crime is committed within earshot and sight of their relatives in all the areas they entered without batting an eyelid.
These violations also included the forced marriage of minors under the threat of weapons, sometimes the marriage of a girl to more than one husband, in addition to cases of gang rape and physical torture.
Numerous initiatives and official and civil organizations have called for addressing this sensitive issue, including the (Beginning of a Good Life Organization), which seeks to free the female prisoners and abductees, return them to their families, and address the consequences of their abduction.
Dr. Sheikh Al-Tayeb Abdel-Wahab Sheikh, the head of the Khalwatiyya Samaniyya Tayyibiyya Qaribiyya order and the president of the organization, said that the organization came to truly be the beginning of life for those who have lost everything – the abducted, the raped, the prisoners, and all the victims of this war.
He indicated that the organization seeks to reunite all the missing persons with their families through contacts made after identifying their whereabouts, which are in the Darfur region and some neighboring countries, through notables of those areas, including Sufi order leaders, native administrations, communities in those countries, and peer organizations working in those areas. He said that efforts are ongoing to return them.
He added that the organization includes experts and specialists in many fields, especially since this type of violation is considered far-reaching, affecting not only the individual but also the woman, her small family, and her extended family. Especially since Sudanese society is a traditional, religious, and conservative society, it has become clear that the militia uses sexual violence as a tactic of war and a stab at society and its deep-rooted values. He said that the treatment is complex and requires time, as the victim is surrounded by social stigma, and the children born as a result of these attacks are also stigmatized, and society's acceptance of them requires time.
He said that the organization, through its specialized secretariats, has developed treatments through jurisprudential fatwas specific to the victims and newborns, such as abortion issues and the attribution of newborns. It also raises awareness among society and families through mosque platforms, imams, preachers, and through psychological specialists, and participates in assisting them, especially since the state has established homes in safe states to shelter survivors and victims of violations and violence, and also provides care to families affected by these violations through productive projects to protect them from need and to restore their well-being.
Dr. Ahmad Al-Mufti, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the organization, said that the crime of rape and sexual violence is a silent crime that feeds on our silence and is shrouded in social stigma. It is a crime that often goes unpunished, and victims hesitate to report it immediately. However, what the militia committed is a war strategy and a systematic act, and it is an integral part of the political project and demographic change they want to achieve through ethnic cleansing, forced displacement, and economic and political subjugation in the areas they control. This makes the issue of impunity likely, especially since there is systematic denial of these crimes by the rebel militia. He affirmed that these crimes are documented and are war crimes and crimes against humanity with all their elements, punishable by international law and subject to special courts, and their perpetrators should not escape punishment. He said that the organization coordinates with human rights organizations and activists to deal with these crimes professionally and in accordance with the rule of law, to punish their perpetrators in proportion to the seriousness of these crimes and violations.
The violations and attacks carried out by the Daglo militia are considered the most heinous in human history, unmatched by what the Serbs did to Muslims in Bosnia. The outcome of these violations is documented with figures, pictures, and confessions of criminals who documented what they did to the Sudanese people, which exceeded all reason. However, the international and regional reactions to what is happening in Sudan remain very modest compared to the magnitude of the reality. But what Sudanese people and the victims of this war have experienced in terms of pain, tragedies, and psychological trauma, although invisible, carries deep scars and long-term effects on this society. As for Amal, although she survived, she has not and will never forget her companions who are still in captivity, and her unspoken words say that the stories of history, even if not distant, are not told to children to make them sleep, but are told to heroes to awaken them.
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