Rozan Ahmed is a British national of Sudanese origin who went to the country to attend her cousin’s funeral nine days ago and has been stuck in Khartoum for a week
Saturday 22 April 2023 17:14, UK
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A British-Sudanese woman has described her “harrowing” ordeal over the last seven days in the capital Khartoum during clashes that have resulted in hundreds of deaths.
Rozan Ahmed travelled to the country to attend her cousin’s funeral nine days ago.
Sudan has been rocked by clashes between its army and the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary support force. More than 400 people have been killed and at least 3,500 injured in the violence so far, according to the United Nations.
Khartoum has been hardest hit, with people trapped in their homes.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak chaired an emergency COBRA meeting on Saturday over the “extremely concerning” situation, with plans to evacuate UK diplomats.
Speaking from Khartoum on Saturday afternoon, Ms Ahmed told Sky News: “I have been hiding under my bed for the last six hours, the area where I stay has been shelled to shreds.
“I have heard nothing but explosions and gunfire, and shelling screams for the past six hours. Only now has it died down.
“On top of that we have to deal with the fact that there are rogue soldiers walking around our streets, randomly raiding our homes, and then we don’t have water.”
Ms Ahmed, a British-Sudanese writer and activist who is usually based in London and Dubai, said the situation had been the same for the last seven days straight.
“This war started on Saturday 15 April, seven days later we are still here,” she said.
“I am alive only by the grace of God and by the strength of my surrounding family members who thankfully are also still alive although saying that, we are all mentally devastated.
“I and my family members are terrified to a point where we have gone numb.”
Read more:
Sudan clashes: Here’s what’s happening on the ground
PM chairs COBRA meeting over ‘extremely concerning’ situation
Britons in Sudan urged to stay indoors as fighting rages around the capital
Ms Ahmed said that while she still has food, her household doesn’t have any more water and electricity.
“I personally haven’t had running water for seven days: I ran out of drinking water two days ago.”
She also claimed that there had been no communications from the British Embassy about being evacuated from the city.
“I don’t know why we have received no information as to our evacuation,” Ms Ahmed said.
“As a British national, I haven’t heard anything from the British Embassy. My only question is, if there is no plan to get me out, please tell me why.
“If there are logistical issues, if there are airspace problems, I should be aware, I should be updated as to why, seven days later, I am [still] here.”
She questioned whether the conflict taking place in an African nation in some way impacted on the perceived slowness of the British government to act to protect its nationals.
“It is a shame, a real shame, that I am not Ukrainian.
“It is a shame this isn’t some Eurocentric country, because I imagine if this wasn’t an African country, if I wasn’t of African origin, my life would be treated with a little more worth and value and importance and priority,” Ms Ahmed said.
“If there is no plan to get us to safety, again, let us know why.”
“This has been the most harrowing experience of my life and my only focus right now is to get to my mother, who is probably more pained than I am, and I need to understand why we are still here.”
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Ms Ahmed made a plea for foreign intervention in the conflict.
“The world must exert pressure on an immediate ceasefire: these two factions must stop fighting in the midst of innocent civilians. This is our only plea.
“These two factions must find the grace in dialogue and stop killing us.”
