NLers from Sudan fearful for loved ones as home country erupts in violence

Ring Lual Ring says he lives in fear because his brother is trapped in Khartoum, the capital of Sudan, which has recently erupted in violence.

Ring's brother has cancer, and although his wife and children were able to flee the country, Ring says his sibling was too sick to travel with them. Ring and his brother aren't sure exactly where their family has escaped to.

"It's really, really sad," said Ring, who lives in St. John's and is originally from Sudan, an African country at risk of a countrywide civil war.

"The Sudanese never saw anything like this. This is a bad thing."

Sudan's military and powerful paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces have been battling one another in the country's capital and other areas since Friday, threatening to plunge the country into a civil war.

Tensions had been escalating between the two military factions for months prior, and when fighting broke out on Friday, each side blamed the other for starting the violence. 

Previously, both factions were allies and worked together to dismantle the country's former civilian government in October 2021.

According to The Associated Press, residents of the capital have been running out of food and other supplies, while hospitals have either become overwhelmed with patients, damaged in the battles or forced to close.

Citizens are trying to hide from gun battles, bombardments and airstrikes occurring in markets and on the streets outside.

Ahmad Mahamaden, who moved from Sudan to St. John's 3½ years ago as a refugee, said he learned Sunday that his mother, Mariam, had been shot in the shoulder near her home in Darfur, a region of western Sudan that has also seen violence over the past few days.

Mahamaden says his brother also lives in St. John's, but the rest of his family — including his father, aunts, uncles and cousins — all live in Sudan. He says he's thankful his mother is alive but he continues to fear for the safety of his family every day.

"All the time I'm scared," said Mahamaden. "Sometimes I'll be sad, sometimes cry."

The UN's World Health Organization said Wednesday that close to 300 people have been killed and more than 3,000 have been wounded since fighting began. Sudan's rival generals attempted a 24-hour ceasefire Wednesday after a failed truce the previous night, but fighting persisted.

Ring says the small Sudanese community in Newfoundland continues to support each other as they continue grappling with fear for their loved ones. He's urging the Canadian government to do more to address the current situation.