“Thousands of Sudanese Flee to Egypt, Facing Perilous Journeys and Uncertain Futures”

• Daisy Mohr

  Middle East correspondent

Western tourists with large sun hats and shorts avoid the large groups of Sudanese who are puffing out in front of Aswan station with their heads on their suitcases. The journey from Khartoum to southern Egypt has sometimes taken up to six days.

“It was hell on earth. I was scared, it was hot, we didn’t have enough water and we could hardly buy anything to eat along the way. Today I saw my face in the mirror and thought: who is that?”, says Enas. She hadn’t expected the 900-mile journey to safety to take so long.

It is striking how slow the international response is getting under way in Egypt. No one says they saw help along the way. According to the Egyptian authorities, more than 56,000 people have already crossed the border, of whom 52,500 are Sudanese. Thousands of people are still waiting on the Sudanese side of the border, hoping to reach Egypt.

Enas did not encounter any help along the way either. “You were lucky if you could buy a bottle of water. I brought nuts, they saved us”. She shows pictures on her phone: “Our street was on fire, we had no electricity for days and there was no water in the shops.”

It is mainly people from the upper middle class who have fled to Egypt; only they can afford the expensive bus tickets. Enas worked in Khartoum as a flight attendant, her sisters as a manager in an office and her father had a good job in a bank. They lived in a spacious house with a garden. They had not foreseen that they suddenly no longer have access to their savings.

Enas: “ATMs don’t work, banks are closed. I was saving for a new car and luckily I had that money at home. I quickly put it in my pocket and that’s all we have now”. Other than that, she only has the colorful long flower dress she has been wearing for days and her gold earrings.

Enas and her family have no plan. They have never been to Egypt before and know no one. “We are lucky that we were able to get a train ticket. In Cairo we will see if we can rent an apartment or something.” She needs to find a job as soon as possible. “When this money runs out, we will have nothing left. Do you have WiFi? Can I use your hotspot for a while? Then I can send a message.”

There is no doubt that the number of refugees will continue to rise enormously, thinks Heba Rashed, founder of the Egyptian charity Mersal in Cairo. She follows developments closely, because her organization has been working with the Sudanese community in Egypt for some time. “There were already four million Sudanese here. We support them with medical aid. So when the war started, it was easy for us to get in touch with the community,” says Rashed.

They are now trying to reach as many newcomers as possible via social media, Whatsapp groups and a helpline to help them find their way. “Many sick and old people have fled the country. Sometimes they have forgotten their medication in the chaos or it has already run out. We also distribute baby milk to families with small children.”

It was immediately criticized. On social media, Rashed was accused of focusing on poor Egyptians and not Sudanese newcomers. Due to the economic crisis, many Egyptians also need help. “For us everyone is equal. The need will only increase the longer they stay here.”

And that is exactly Hiba’s concern. She brought 5,000 euros with her, but things are going fast with eight family members. “I have enough money in the bank,” says the woman who made her career as a marketing manager a few weeks ago. “But due to the situation, we can’t access our accounts.”

To recover, they spend the night in a four-star hotel in Aswan, which is normally full of groups of European tourists. One Sudanese family after another arrive exhausted in the lobby with a few suitcases. “I feel super guilty that I’m in this hotel right now. Air conditioning, running water, good food, a bed while so many people are stuck in Sudan,” she says at the edge of the pool. “Your life can change in just a few seconds. You might see us smiling during the day, but we do it to distract our kids. But I can assure you, once they’re asleep, we cry softly in our beds all night long.”