What’s it like to return home to Omdurman in Sudan?
BBC reporter Mohanad Hashim hears tales of cruelty and loss in the city of his birth
Africa Daily · BBC World Service
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Show Notes
“They made me, a woman who’s over 80, crawl the street in front of soldiers laughing and shouting and hurling abuse.”
Today on the podcast we hear stories from the people of Omdurman from the BBC’s Mohanad Hashim, who was born and raised in the city. Sudan has been embroiled in a war since the army and a powerful paramilitary group, the Rapid Support Forces (or RSF), began a vicious struggle for power in April 2023, leading to what the UN has called one of the world's worst humanitarian crises. It says more than 20 thousand people have died, with millions becoming refugees.
Just over a month into the war - in May 2023 – the RSF took military control of Omdurman. But in February this year the army recaptured it, giving Mohanad the opportunity to return to his home city for the first time in three years with a BBC team.
For Africa Daily, he tells @mpholakaje of his response to finding his home and city in ruins – and of hearing tales of brutality and pain from family, friends and neighbours.