In the Kiryandongo refugee camp for Sudanese refugees in Uganda, under a modest tent, Aisha Al-Noor lives with her three daughters and her university student son. The tent, provided by an NGO, lacks basic necessities for survival. On one side, a stove is used for cooking, and in the center, a medium-sized mattress serves as a bed for the family, with clothes scattered throughout. This is her life now, a life where peace of mind has been lost, and the tent has become both a shelter and a source of life.
Aisha shares the story of her perilous journey to the camp after fleeing the devastating war in Sudan. She recalls how her life changed overnight. Just a few months ago, she was a middle school teacher, holding a respected position in her community. But today, she has sacrificed everything, leaving behind her home and hopes for a brighter future, to find herself and her children under a small tent, after her country was torn apart by war.
“When the war began, we hoped it would end quickly, as the Sudanese army had promised at the start of the conflict. But the days passed, and the worst was yet to come. We saw death closing in around us, so I decided to leave our home with my family and flee to the Al-Jazeera region. From there, we crossed to South Sudan, and then to Uganda,” she recounts to African Voices.
Aisha’s situation exemplifies the suffering of thousands of Sudanese refugees who have arrived at the Kiryandongo camp in the Bili area. Many consider themselves fortunate to have escaped the hellish war and found refuge in Uganda.
As the conflict between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces continues, the number of refugees in the camp grows daily. Most are now moving to Ugandan cities in search of better education and a more stable life.
Last November, the UN Refugee Agency confirmed that displacement from Sudan had reached unprecedented levels. The agency reported that civilians were being targeted based on their ethnic identity, and many were killed, while women were subjected to rape during their escape. Many survivors share shocking testimonies, such as witnessing bodies left on the roads during their dangerous journeys.
According to official figures, over 3 million people have fled Sudan since the war began more than 20 months ago, seeking refuge in countries like Egypt, Chad, South Sudan, Libya, the Central African Republic, and Uganda. Those who remained within Sudan have been displaced to other regions in an attempt to escape conflict zones.
In Kiryandongo, the Ugandan government offers significant facilitation for Sudanese refugees, easing their entry without requiring visas. Refugees are gathered at border points with South Sudan and transferred to the camp.
For refugees, the UN Refugee Agency manages the camp and initially provides them with full food aid for the first three months, which gradually decreases to 60% and then 30% by the tenth month, at which point they receive 14 shillings per person. Despite the dwindling support, many refugees have opened charitable kitchens with the help of humanitarian organizations and are working to set up eight additional kitchens to support the most vulnerable families.
Humanitarian organizations are also providing psychological support to children in the camp, organizing activities like drawing and recreation to ease the trauma of war. A young girl, Raghda, drew a small house, an airplane, and a bright sun, while a boy named Abdel Latif sketched his country’s flag, a subtle sign of his longing for his homeland.
Amidst these hardships, Sudanese refugees in Kiryandongo have not forgotten their homeland. Women gather for coffee sessions where they share memories of their homes and stories of the war that scattered their families. Seham Abdel Mahmoud, one of the refugees, says: “We live here in body, but our hearts and minds are still in Sudan. We have never forgotten our country. We still remember the homes we had to abandon when we fled from death and rape.”
Numerous humanitarian organizations are running relief operations at the Kiryandongo camp, including the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), the World Food Programme (WFP), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), international NGOs, the International Red Cross, the Red Crescent, Doctors Without Borders (MSF), Save the Children, CARE International, the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), Uganda Red Cross Society, and the Refugee Law Project. The Ugandan Refugee Affairs Office (Office of the Prime Minister – Refugee Department) is also responsible for coordinating relief efforts in the refugee areas.
Despite these efforts, the refugees’ conditions remain dire, especially with the heavy rains that persist throughout the year, causing considerable damage to their shelters.
Life in Kiryandongo continues. Refugees face a harsh reality, but they carry in their hearts an unwavering love for their homeland. In their hearts, they hold passports of love that travel across borders, even though they are without official documents.
A Tent in Exile and a Deferred Dream of Return:Sudanese Refugees in Uganda Paint the Picture of Their “Alternative Homeland”
