SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Sudanese Association of the Greater Sacramento Area hosted an event Saturday night to bring awareness to the ongoing conflict in Sudan.
The conflict, between rival forces, broke out April 15. A cease fire ends Sunday which could be last opportunity to safely evacuate people — including family members of folks living here in the Sacramento community.
Rayan Ali is waiting for her two aunts and grandmother to return home, them being a few of many U.S. citizens looking for a way out of Sudan.
“They got onto the buses to Egypt so they are safe and sound in Cairo but my other aunt, she refused to leave. She wanted to stay home, she felt like it was her homeland and didn’t want to leave it to these people so she stayed home," said Ali. "Unfortunately the situation is really bad.”
After her aunt found more than 30 bullet holes in her home, she realized it was time to leave her home country.
“Now she’s on a bus with the U.S. convoy on her way to port Sudan and hopefully from there she will be flown out to Saudi Arabia,” said Ali.
This is the United State’s first mass evacuation of private American citizens living in or visiting Sudan.
The fight between two Sudanese top generals has put civilians in the cross fire. The Sudanese Health Ministry announced the death toll now over 500 with 4,500 wounded and thousands more fleeing the country.
Dalia Fadl is the President of the Sudanese Association of the Greater Sacramento Area and is trying to bring awareness to what's happening.
“We want the public to help us get the word out to politicians and the U.S. government to put pressure on people involved and make sure they stop the fighting as soon as possible," said Fadl. "We need to get humanitarian aid as well as medical aid and food to people back home. There is a huge humanitarian crisis in addition to the fighting."
Estimates show about 1 million people are experiencing food insecurity after four years of historic flooding in the region.
The Sudanese Association is now raising money for the Sudanese Physician Association which is working to reopen hospitals so women can have their children. They are also operating mobile clinics across the state.
To learn more or donate, click HERE.
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