Sudan refugees dream of a better world after peace deal

Doaa Emam

“I dedicate the peace deal we have just signed to our children who were born in refugee camps, to mothers and fathers who long to their villages and towns, and the people who wait for the promises of return, development and security to materialize.”

These were the remarks interim Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla made following the signing of a peace agreement between his government and rebel groups in his country on August 31, 2020.

The peace deal, which was signed in South Sudanese capital, Juba, under the auspices of both the United Arab Emirates and Egypt, is important on many counts.

The United States, the United Kingdom and Norway welcomed the deal, considering it a step that lays the groundwork for sustainable stability in the western Sudanese region of Darfur and other regions affected by the conflict in Sudan.

Sudanese citizens living in refugee camps look forward to peace to prevail in their country so that their living conditions can improve, after years of fighting between the government of Khartoum and rebel groups.

Women and children paid dearly for this fighting, having been prone to violations and violence. Some people were also implicated in terrorism. The refugee camps in some cases were believed to be fertile soil for terrorism to take root and grow.

The population of the refugee camps suffers a lack of food and services as a result of the control the affiliates of the ruling party imposed on these camps. The regime of former president Omar al-Bashir also used to harass humanitarian workers and organizations and threaten to kick them out of Sudan, in its bid to control the refugees.

Some observers have warned against the collapse of the food supply system inside the refugee camps in the western Sudanese region of Darfur.

They said this collapse is especially imminent if the Sudanese government does not change the way it deals with these camps.