The City of Haj Abdullah: A Sad Return to Homes From Which Life Was Stolen
Sudan Events – Agencies
Life is slowly returning to the city of Haj Abdullah in the Gezira State, central Sudan, but this return is burdened with pain and sorrow. The returnees from displacement find themselves faced with a grim scene of destruction and ruin, as their homes have turned into ruins and memories.
Signs of Destruction:
“The house is frightening,” with these words, Mohamed Said describes his mixed emotions upon seeing his house. Mohamed recounts how he found his house looted, with even his marriage certificates and photos of his children not spared from theft.
According to Al Jazeera, the destruction has extended to include the entire social and economic fabric of the city.
The Haj Abdullah market, which was once the economic lifeblood of the region, has now become a deserted place filled with emptiness and dust. The devastation has spread to all seven administrative units in the state, leaving a profound impact on the lives of the residents.
Just Ruins:
In an attempt to restore order, the local police are working to collect the scattered stolen items and return them to their rightful owners, but the magnitude of the tragedy exceeds these modest efforts.
Vital institutions in the city have turned into soulless structures. The hospital has become an abandoned building without medical equipment or life-saving devices, and the court, which was once a symbol of order and law, is now just a ruin scattered with case papers whose fate is yet to be decided.
Signs of Hope:
Yahya, one of the returnees, stands in front of what was once his home, trying to recall the happy family memories he lived there. “I still remember the laughter of the girls in this room,” he says sorrowfully. “Twenty years of work and building evaporated in a moment.”
These painful emotions are repeated in the stories of many returnees who find themselves facing the challenge of rebuilding their lives from scratch.
Despite the grim scene, faint signs of hope are emerging with the gradual return of residents to their city. “Thank God, the return has started,” says one of the local officials, but he adds with sorrow, “People returned to find their homes looted. We must start from scratch.”
As the process of return continues, the bigger question remains unanswered: How can a community that has suffered such widespread destruction be rebuilt? The returnees to the city of Haj Abdullah today face a double challenge: rebuilding their physical homes and restoring the social and psychological fabric of their devastated community. Amid this tragedy, their stories remain a living testament to the heavy cost of war on innocent civilians.
Source: Al Jazeera Net
