2023-08-26 12:48:23
After 4 months spent under the fire of war, Enas Orabi was able to get out of Tuti Island, which lies in the middle of the cities of the Sudanese capital, and arrived in the city of Wad Medani in the center of the country, on a harsh journey of displacement, during which she faced the specter of death, in addition to a great financial drain.
Enas tells Sky News Arabia a chapter of the tragic tragedies experienced by the people she left behind. The only bridge connecting the island with the rest of the cities of the Sudanese capital is still closed to pedestrians, which created a shortage of basic commodities and a lack of health services, as there is no hospital or medical center in Toti. for now.
In addition to the flames of war burning in all its directions, Tuti Island is now facing the specter of drowning with the onset of the Nile flood season, which reaches its peak in September of each year, which increases anxiety for its residents.
The island is in the middle of the three cities of the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, Bahri, Omdurman, and the southern part of it overlooks the presidential palace and separates it from it by a few meters, which is the width of the course of the Blue Nile River, while it is bordered on the western side by the military medical complex of the army and from the north by Hilla Hamad, all of which are places inflamed by battles military.
Toti, which has an area of regarding 990 square metres, and is inhabited by regarding 20,000 people, is characterized by its picturesque landscapes and was a popular destination for the Sudanese to relax on the Nile waters and spend enjoyable times.
Numerous risks
Despite its proximity to the center of the Sudanese capital, the island bears the character of simple rural life, and its inhabitants have a special nature that made them emotionally attached to it to a great extent.
Youssef Bashir, a resident of Tuti Island, told Sky News Arabia, “The fire surrounds Tuti from all directions, and the southern part opposite the presidential palace has turned into a military barracks, forcing its residents to leave, while the northern and eastern side is still full of residents who preferred to remain in the shadow of great suffering.”
He adds, “The population has become dependent on boats and boats through a single Nile port that leads to the city of Bahri for final departure or for the purpose of obtaining food and life necessities, and then returning once more.”
He points out that the Rapid Support Forces, which impose their control on the island, have appointed one of their employees as a “mayor” on Tuti, who is tasked with issuing paper passes for residents wishing to leave and return to the island, with the aim of facilitating their movement and so that they will not be subjected to harassment in their military patrols.
Bashir fears a wide impact on the island during the current flood season, as the precautionary measures that residents take every year to prevent water infiltration into homes and residential areas have not been taken.
In 2015, the United Nations Program for Disaster and Risk Reduction selected Tuti Island among the 8 best regions in the world in using traditional skills and local culture to reduce flood risks.
The choice to stay
Despite the dangers, the residents cling to staying on Tuti Island, and Enas Orabi says, “My mother refuses to leave the island, as she is afraid that she will go to an unaccounted position in the states, and she is afraid of displacement and its unaccounted outcomes.”
And she adds, “Every day the complications of getting out of the island increase. We took advantage of a boat with a high amount of money and arrived on the other side in the city of Bahri and headed south. We were afraid because of the heavy military deployment and thorough inspection.”
And she continued: “We arrived at the central market Shambat, and from there to the Hattab area in the far north of the Sudanese capital, and then headed south once more via a circular road leading to the state of Al-Jazeera in the center of the country. that required me.”
She pointed out that Tuti Island had reached a stage of lack of foodstuffs, even table salt, during the last period, before the Nile port was opened, and the residents began to obtain their needs from the city of Bahri, but the risks remain in light of the escalation of military battles in all directions.
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