On Int’l Day of Peace, calls from eastern Chad and Darfur to end Sudan’s war

Sudanese refugees in camps in eastern Chad, as well as advocacy groups in Darfur, have renewed calls for an end to the war in Sudan, which has been raging since April 2023, and for an end to the suffering caused by displacement and exile. The appeals come as the world marks International Day of Peace on 21 September.

The refugees called for an end to the war and a return to their homes, pointing to deteriorating living and humanitarian conditions in the camps, and a lack of work, food, healthcare, and education. They also described the risks refugees face while seeking ways to provide for their families.

Fatima, a refugee at the Mij camp in eastern Chad, says the war and displacement have exhausted Sudanese families.

“For God’s sake, enough with the war, enough with displacement. We are sitting here in someone else’s country, displaced, and we have nothing.”

She explains that some refugees do hard daily labour for very little pay, saying they dig the ground and work in construction for about SDG 500. “What can we buy with an amount equivalent to SDG 500?” she asks.

Fatima adds that refugees are suffering from shortages of food, healthcare, and education. She says a number of young people who tried to travel in search of work have been killed or gone missing, with their families unaware of their whereabouts.

A return home

Haja Suad, also from the camp, says her wish is for the life of the camps to end and for refugees to return home.

“We hope the war stops today rather than tomorrow. We need to return to our country. The war has displaced us and destroyed our country. Enough. Stop it.”

Suad says prolonged displacement has had a major impact on children. Conditions in the camps do not provide a suitable environment for raising children or continuing their education, she says, adding that some have lost access to education and experienced behavioural changes that are unlike the environment in which they grew up.

Suad called on Gen Abdelfattah El Burhan, the United Nations, and all parties to the war to work towards an urgent solution that would lead to an end to the fighting.

An end to the war

Habiba, another refugee, says she hopes that when International Day of Peace is marked next year, Sudan will have finally left its wars behind.

“We have lost people dear to us, and the loss is still continuing. Even when we were in Sudan, we were also in camps, but our lives were much better than they are now. Stop the war for us.”

Salima, another refugee in eastern Chad, says their suffering from displacement and homelessness began in 2023, when they arrived in eastern Chad without possessions or resources.

She says refugees face risks when they leave the camps to collect firewood or look for any means of feeding their families. They are sometimes beaten and insulted, she says, and the axes and tools they use for their work are confiscated.

Salima says refugee families are suffering severe shortages of basic necessities.

“Since we came here, we have received no assistance — no bedding, no food supplies, and no education for our children. Most of our children are orphans, and the women are widows.”

She stresses that ending the war is the path to returning to Sudan.

“The war has to stop so that we can return to our country.”

Hajj Suleiman, another refugee, says his wish, like that of other refugees, is for the war to stop and for them to return home. He adds that exile has taken a great deal from them, and calls on the warring parties to reach an agreement to end the conflict.

Darfur Women’s Forum: peace is a basic right, not just a slogan

Meanwhile, the Darfur Women’s Forum has issued an appeal to mark International Day of Peace, calling for an end to the war, the protection of civilians, and stronger efforts towards peace and peaceful coexistence.

Alawiya Mukhtar, the forum’s general coordinator, told Radio Dabanga that on this occasion, women carry the hopes and pain of the Sudanese people amid one of the country’s worst humanitarian crises.

She says the war has forced millions of Sudanese people to flee their homes and seek refuge, with many losing their homes, property, and family members. Women and children, she says, are among those worst affected by the war.

Peace means the return of displaced families to their homes, a sense of security, and access to education for children, she says. It also means ensuring that women and girls can live safely and with dignity, free from fear and violence, while enabling displaced people and refugees to build a better future for themselves and their families.

Alawiya says women have demonstrated their resilience and their ability to lead initiatives aimed at strengthening coexistence and community solidarity, despite challenges that have become part of daily life because of the war.

She says the Darfur Women’s Forum believes that women’s participation in peace efforts and community-building is fundamental to achieving a just and lasting peace.

She notes that this year’s International Day of Peace theme is “Invest in Peace – For Everyone, Everywhere, Every Day”, saying the slogan is a reminder that peace cannot be achieved through words alone. It requires joint action, dialogue, justice, and guarantees of fundamental rights, including the right to education and human rights.

Alawiya called for support for communities affected by the war. She says the Darfur Women’s Forum is using International Day of Peace to renew its call for an end to violence, the protection of civilians, and the promotion of coexistence and mutual respect, while working towards a future of security, stability, and dignity for all Sudanese people, both inside Sudan and in countries where they have sought refuge or been displaced.

She concludes:

“May you all remain advocates for peace, and may Sudan each year move closer to security, peace, and justice.”

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Note: This report has been translated from Arabic with the assistance of artificial intelligence tools, and subsequently reviewed and adapted by a human editor before publication.

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