Omdurman's Perilous Task: Sacrificing Lives to Give the Deceased a Proper Burial in Sudan's Conflict

**"Burial Amid Bullets: The Dire Consequences of Sudan's Escalating War"** In the midst of the escalating war in Sudan, my family was forced to bury my 84-year-old grandmother while bullets rained down on us at a graveyard in Omdurman, just across the River Nile from Khartoum. Despite the danger, we had no choice but to proceed with the burial. My grandmother, who suffered from diabetes and high blood pressure, urgently needed medical attention. However, Omdurman, where millions of people still reside despite a massive exodus from the city, only has one functioning hospital. The remaining hospitals have been either ransacked or taken over by fighters, and only admit war-wounded patients. As a result, those who are sick are left without proper medical care. Without treatment, my grandmother's health rapidly deteriorated. We wished to bury her next to my grandfather, who passed away in 2005, but his cemetery was located near the Central Reserve Police unit, resulting in constant battles between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). So, we had to take her body to a different cemetery in a relatively peaceful area. However, heavy battles were raging around the graveyard on the day of her burial. A few relatives who accompanied us had to take cover on the ground to avoid the bullets while they slowly lowered my grandmother into her grave. It took them approximately six hours to leave the cemetery due to the fierce gunfights, which subsided only at sunset. The majority of my grandmother's relatives stayed behind at her home, where they also had to take refuge in rooms during intense shootings that occurred in the neighborhood for several hours. We consider ourselves fortunate to have buried her in a cemetery, as many people have been forced to lay their loved ones to rest within their own homes. Another casualty of the war was Khalid Sanhouri, a talented violinist, who was buried in front of his house in the al-Molazmeen neighborhood of old Omdurman. In his 40s, he suffered from diabetes and, according to his family, died after days without food due to the scarcity caused by the ongoing conflict. Most residents had fled the neighborhood, and shops were closed. Sanhouri was among the few who decided to remain. The situation in Omdurman, particularly the old part where Sanhouri resided, has deteriorated significantly due to the conflict between the army and the RSF over control of the bridges leading to Khartoum and Bahri city. The area frequently experiences air strikes and heavy shelling, resulting in numerous fatalities, destroyed homes, and ruined businesses. My grandmother lived in an area of Omdurman that was relatively less affected by the war until a few weeks ago. She had strong bonds with her neighborhood's residents. In the past, hundreds of children used to gather at her house every Friday as she would distribute gifts to them. Now, those children, who have grown up and started families of their own, came to pay their final respects at the mosque across from her house before she was laid to rest in the cemetery. However, many of them have since fled due to the intensified shelling by the army against the RSF fighters who control much of greater Khartoum. My mother also narrowly escaped death. While walking to the market to buy vegetables, she witnessed a drone strike nearby, causing a massive explosion. She immediately dropped to the ground, fearing for her life. The woman next to her, a tea lady, was so shaken that she dropped her tray and took cover as well. It is becoming increasingly evident that August 24th, the day of my grandmother's burial, marked a turning point in the war. On that day, the RSF's siege of the army chief, Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, came to an end. Gen Burhan had been trapped in the military headquarters in Khartoum since the war began on April 15th. While he claimed that his forces had successfully ended the siege, some Sudanese suspect that foreign mediators brokered a secret agreement allowing Gen Burhan to leave. Since then, Gen Burhan has relocated to the city of Port Sudan and has been traveling abroad extensively to garner support for the war against the RSF. While talks between the warring factions continue in Saudi Arabia, Gen Burhan has not yet joined the negotiations. The rhetoric of both Gen Burhan and RSF commander Gen Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, also known as Hemedti, suggests that they view each other as traitors and are determined to fight to the bitter end rather than pursuing a peace agreement. Gen Dagalo's current whereabouts are unknown but it is believed that he is still in Khartoum. The two commanders, who once staged a coup together in October 2021, have now become embroiled in a power struggle that has led to their forces fighting against each other. There is no doubt that the army has intensified its operations against the RSF since the end of Gen Burhan's siege, resulting in a significant increase in civilian casualties. Numerous individuals have fled Omdurman in recent days as the violence continues. One woman described the constant sight of people carrying bodies on their shoulders, creating a terrifying environment. The devastating impact of the war was exemplified when 10 men watching a football match at an entertainment center in Omdurman were killed after government forces shelled the facility. Although they missed their intended target, a restaurant frequently visited by RSF fighters, the shells caused devastation and loss of life. On another occasion, the military shelled a poverty-stricken area in Omdurman known as Ombada 21. Again, the intended target seemed to be RSF fighters stationed there, but they had already left before the shells struck, resulting in approximately 25 civilian fatalities. Additionally, the deadliest air strike thus far occurred when over 50 people were killed in a market in Mayo, a poor neighborhood south of Khartoum, on September 10th. These horrifying incidents represent just a fraction of the civilian casualties inflicted by the ongoing war. As Khartoum's middle-class residents fled early in the conflict, it is predominantly the poor black population that has suffered the most. They feel largely forgotten by a world preoccupied with conflicts in Ukraine, natural disasters in North Africa, and coups in other parts of the continent. Meanwhile, thousands of people are losing their lives in greater Khartoum and throughout Sudan.