Blocked in Saudi Arabia for a year, the Sudanese Emad Addin Ahmed returns to the atmosphere of his country at war during a collective iftar, the meal to break the fast of Ramadan, in the & quot;little Khartoum" from Riyadh. In this holy month for Muslims, this trader from southern Sudan, who originally came for a pilgrimage to Mecca, consoles himself for his forced exile in the Saudi capital by sharing typically Sudanese dishes with his compatriots in the Ghubairah district, refuge of a battered community. “I cannot return to Sudan because of the difficult situation there and the war which continues”, explains Emad Addin Ahmed, dipping bread in his plate, surrounded by dozens of men wearing traditional white attire and turbans. “I only find my happiness among them,” he adds. Sudanese stranded in Saudi Arabia meet for collective iftar, the meal to break the fast of Ramadan, on March 27, 2024 in Riyadh © AFP – Fagé Nureldine Since April 15, 2023, the fighting in Sudan between the army of General Abdel Fattah al-Burhane and the Rapid Support Forces of General Mohamed Hamdane Daglo has left thousands dead and more than 8 million people displaced, according to the UN. – “Sudanese atmosphere” – Like Emad Addin Ahmed, many Sudanese performing Umrah have been caught surprised by the eruption of violence in their country. Sudanese stranded in Saudi Arabia meet for collective iftar, the meal to break the fast of Ramadan, on March 27, 2024 in Riyadh © AFP – Fagé Nureldine The Saudi authorities, who granted them temporary residence permits renewable every three months, do not communicate their number, but there are a little more than 50,000, according to a Sudanese official. Others fled the country, threatened with famine and plunged into one of the worst humanitarian disasters in recent history, taking refuge with relatives working in the rich Gulf monarchy. Having lived in Riyadh for years, where he runs one of the many Sudanese restaurants giving the Ghubaira district its nickname of “little Khartoum”, Omar Arabi brought in his whole family after the war. Sudanese stranded in Saudi Arabia meet for collective iftar, the meal to break the fast of Ramadan, on March 27, 2024 in Riyadh © AFP – Fagé Nureldine “A large number of Sudanese have come to Saudi Arabia, and need to rediscover a Sudanese atmosphere,” he says while supervising the iftar served on the ground, on mats rolled out along the sidewalk, in front of his establishment. These moments allow them “to forget their sadness and pain for just an hour,” he says. – “Never be forgotten” – Ramadan also has a bitter taste this year for Issam Youssef, the neighborhood hairdresser, who will not go see his family, refugees in northern Sudan, as he is used to doing. Sudanese stranded in Saudi Arabia meet for collective iftar, the meal to break the fast of Ramadan, on March 27, 2024 in Riyadh © AFP – Fagé Nureldine Apart from the dangers of the journey from Port Sudan airport, which has become the only gateway to the country after the closure of that of the capital Khartoum, this father of five children prefers to “sacrifice” himself ” to save the price of the ticket. “I became responsible for more than 17 people to whom I send 80% of my salary”, he explains. According to Bashir Abdel Azim, the sales director of the private Sudanese airline Badr Airlines, the number of Sudanese traveling to their country from the kingdom has “fallen by more than 50%”. “Most people now travel from Sudan to Saudi Arabia,” he says, stressing that he too was trying to bring relatives . Sudanese stranded in Saudi Arabia meet for collective iftar, the meal to break the fast of Ramadan, on March 27, 2024 in Riyadh © AFP – Fagé Nureldine Saudi played an important role in the evacuation of foreign nationals in Sudan at the start of the war and hosted talks between the belligerents, which failed to end the conflict. The United States said last month it hoped for new discussions after Ramadan. But for the pastry chef from “little Khartoum”, Saleh Mohammed, whose neighbor was killed and his family displaced, nothing can erase the last few months. “What happened to the country can never be forgotten,” he said sadly. All rights of reproduction and representation reserved. © (2024) Agence France-Presse
By Teilor Stone
Teilor Stone has been a reporter on the news desk since 2013. Before that she wrote about young adolescence and family dynamics for Styles and was the legal affairs correspondent for the Metro desk. Before joining Thesaxon , Teilor Stone worked as a staff writer at the Village Voice and a freelancer for Newsday, The Wall Street Journal, GQ and Mirabella. To get in touch, contact me through my teilor@nizhtimes.com 1-800-268-7116