Sudanese Fleeing Tuti Island Describe Hunger, Disease Amid War Crisis
Reuters
Muhammad Awad and his family are among many who fled Sudan's Tuti Island earlier this year, escaping a brutal siege by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). After months of survival on limited food and constant disease risks, they sought refuge in a shelter in Omdurman, where they now struggle to rebuild their lives.
Tuti Island, located in the Nile River between Khartoum and Omdurman, has become a symbol of the widespread devastation caused by Sudan’s ongoing conflict, which began in April 2023. According to recent reports, over 61,000 people have died in Khartoum state alone during the first 14 months of the war—far exceeding previous death toll estimates.
For those left behind on Tuti, the situation has been dire. Many were forced to pay large sums to the RSF to secure evacuation, with little help available to those who could not afford to leave. Awad, speaking from the shelter for displaced residents, described the grim conditions on the island: "There is no good food, and there are a lot of diseases. There is no sleep, no safety."
Tuti, along with several other locations in Sudan, is at risk of famine, experts warn. The island's close-knit farming community has been devastated by outbreaks of dengue fever, a mosquito-borne disease. Sarah Siraj, a mother who fled with her two children, said that as many as six or seven people were dying daily from the illness. She was only able to get her children treated once they reached safety in Omdurman.
Meanwhile, charity kitchens in Khartoum and Tuti have been forced to close due to a lack of funding and resources, exacerbating the already dire food shortages.
Rabeea Abdel Gader, a nutrition expert working in the shelter, described the heartbreaking conditions of families arriving in the city.
"We ask the mother what they’ve been eating... Sometimes she can only respond with tears. She cannot answer because of their dire circumstances," she said.
As the war continues to ravage Sudan, the humanitarian crisis deepens, with many facing starvation, disease, and an uncertain future.
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