Fear and Exhaustion: A family's Flight from Sudan to Egypt

 Rawan al-Waleed, a Sudanese woman who’s fled after last crisis in the Capital of Sudan "Khartoum" carries her clothes at the balcony at her aunt's house in Cairo, Egypt April 24, 2023. REUTERS /Hanaa Habib
Rawan al-Waleed, a Sudanese woman who’s fled after last crisis in the Capital of Sudan "Khartoum" carries her clothes at the balcony at her aunt's house in Cairo, Egypt April 24, 2023. REUTERS /Hanaa Habib
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Fear and Exhaustion: A family's Flight from Sudan to Egypt

 Rawan al-Waleed, a Sudanese woman who’s fled after last crisis in the Capital of Sudan "Khartoum" carries her clothes at the balcony at her aunt's house in Cairo, Egypt April 24, 2023. REUTERS /Hanaa Habib
Rawan al-Waleed, a Sudanese woman who’s fled after last crisis in the Capital of Sudan "Khartoum" carries her clothes at the balcony at her aunt's house in Cairo, Egypt April 24, 2023. REUTERS /Hanaa Habib

Rawan al-Waleed was expecting to fly from Khartoum to Cairo last week for a wedding. Instead, she ended up travelling from Sudan to Egypt in a bus her family chartered to escape a war.

The family left after a rocket hit Waleed's family home in Khartoum's Al Amarat district on April 18, destroying the bathroom, as fighting raged between Sudan's army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

Like other Sudanese who can afford it, they paid 4 million Sudanese pounds ($6,750) to charter a bus to drive about 50 extended family members nearly 1,000 km (620 miles) north through Sudan and across the border to the Egyptian city of Aswan, Reuters reported.

Waleed, a 24-year-old who works in digital marketing, said there was intense fighting as the bus headed south out of Khartoum on a road that many have used to escape the city, before looping back north.

They came to an RSF checkpoint and were allowed to pass.

"It is still very scary because you don't feel safe. It was a very long road. I have my grandmother, who is very old, this was very exhausting for her."

The bus was among the first carrying Sudanese displaced by the fighting to arrive at the Egyptian border on Friday. Border guards were flexible, Waleed said, waving through people whose passports were about to expire and even some men just over the age of 16, as security rules say adult men need a visa to enter Egypt.

From Aswan, they took a train to Cairo, completing a 72-hour journey.

Waleed is relieved to be away from the fighting, but she left behind friends and relatives including her adult brother. The family were worried they would not be able to secure a visa on time.

"We didn't know if he will be able to cross the border," she said in an interview at a residential compound where she is staying in Giza, across the Nile from Cairo. Since internet and phone connections have become increasingly unreliable, she has sometimes had to contact neighbours to check up on him. "He is alone, without electricity, water or food. We don't know what is happening with him," Waleed said.

The fighting in Khartoum has trapped many in their homes or neighbourhoods, destroyed or closed most hospitals, caused lengthy power and water cuts, and led to lawlessness and looting in some areas.

Air strikes and artillery bombardments have rung out across Khartoum day and night.

"This was very scary for us and for people in Sudan. Children are gripped with fear," said Waleed. "Yes I survived, but I'm still worried about those I left behind. The situation is extremely catastrophic."

The violence was triggered as the army and the RSF, which jointly staged a coup in 2021, negotiated over a plan for a new transition to civilian rule. Hundreds have been killed and tens of thousands have fled.

"We wanted civilian rule," said Waleed. "We are innocent, our homes are destroyed while the head of the military council and his deputy are fighting, and we have nothing to do with this."

Egypt is home to an estimated 4 million Sudanese, and even before the fighting more were heading north to escape economic stagnation.

When Waleed's family arrived in Cairo they heard children letting off firecrackers to celebrate the holiday of Eid al-Fitr that falls at the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

"This is part of the trauma we are living with. Any sound of fireworks scares us," said Waleed.



Compensation Delays Leave Beirut Southern Suburbs’ Families in Ruined Homes

A man surveys the damage caused by Israeli airstrikes on the southern suburbs last week. (EPA)
A man surveys the damage caused by Israeli airstrikes on the southern suburbs last week. (EPA)
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Compensation Delays Leave Beirut Southern Suburbs’ Families in Ruined Homes

A man surveys the damage caused by Israeli airstrikes on the southern suburbs last week. (EPA)
A man surveys the damage caused by Israeli airstrikes on the southern suburbs last week. (EPA)

In Beirut’s southern suburbs, amid buildings scarred by war, residents continue to suffer from severe damage to their homes caused by the recent conflict.

In the Mrayjeh and Saint Therese neighborhoods, locals face a harsh reality of ruined houses, stalled compensation, and unfulfilled promises, while reconstruction projects remain frozen amid deep uncertainty.

In Mrayjeh, where the destruction still marks the walls of homes, Ali, a resident, told Asharq Al-Awsat about the near-total damage to his house.

He said: “After my home was almost completely destroyed, we were told there was an urgent reconstruction plan and that compensation would be paid within a few months. But the reality is completely different.”

“All we actually received was four months’ worth of shelter allowance starting in January, totaling no more than $2,000. After that, all aid stopped, and we have not received any financial support to repair the damage,” added Ali.

On the scale of his losses, Ali said: “My home is no longer habitable. It was completely damaged—from the walls to the floors, from water and electricity networks to furniture that was entirely ruined. I barely managed to salvage anything.”

“Yet, I have received no compensation for the losses. Since the damage occurred, I have been covering all costs out of my own pocket. So far, I’ve spent more than $10,000, and I’m still at the beginning of the road. In my estimation, I need at least another $30,000 to restore the house to a livable condition.”

But the biggest shock came in recent weeks, when they were officially informed that restoration work in the building was halted “until further notice.”

Ali explained that the entity responsible for the repairs, appointed by Hezbollah, told them bluntly: “Funding has stopped, so no work can continue. All they managed to do was reinforce a support wall on the ground floor, then they stopped and left as if nothing happened.”

The building is now at risk of total collapse, with many families either displaced or living in inhumane conditions.

Regarding their appeals to the authorities, Ali said: “All our inquiries receive the same response: ‘There is no funding currently, please wait.’”