The Sudanese.. Among Us

Ziad Bahaa El-Din

The war that has been going on in Sudan for a year and three months (since mid-April last year) is one of the most destructive wars among all the conflicts taking place in our unfortunate area. What makes it even more tragic is that it has become the “forgotten” war that is not followed – other than the people of the country – except by a few interested people
The number of dead is unclear, but it is no less 20,000 (some estimates go to double that), while the number of injured is unknown..
Then – and pay attention to the next number – about 10 million have become displaced and refugees in their country and in neighboring countries.. Yes, 10 million represent 20% of the total population, in addition to the risks of food shortages that may turn into a large-scale famine.
If the ongoing war began with a clash between the regular army forces and the Rapid Support RSF Militia fifteen months ago, the origin of the Sudanese tragedy goes back years, even decades, during which the people of the country, known for their authenticity, nobility, generosity and culture, endured a lot as a result of all the tyranny, corruption, division, tribalism and sectarianism, before their homeland became an arena for conflicts between regional and international powers.
What about our Sudanese brothers in Egypt, who recently arrived there and have been residing there for decades?
The numbers in such situations are not accurate, but what is certain is that we are talking about a few million, perhaps 4 million residents from the beginning, and less than a million others who recently arrived to escape the hell of the civil war.
(These are approximate numbers based on international reports and statements by Egyptian officials, and they are much larger than the number of official refugees registered in the United Nations UN system.)
Our government has recently stated more than once, and in different forms, the need for international support to support Sudanese and Arab refugees. This is natural, and there is absolutely no shame in Egypt resorting to knocking on the doors of international economic cooperation and diplomacy in this field.
However, recently, a few voices have been raised warning of the increase in the number of Sudanese refugees in Egypt, their increased consumption of public services, their entry into the labor market, and their spread in some areas of Cairo, Giza, and Alexandria. Although ; I am convinced that these voices do not express the overwhelming majority of the Egyptian people who naturally love our people in the south, responding to them is necessary to nip any strife in the bud, so that it does not grow and become a thorn in the side of the intimate relationship between the two peoples who are more than brothers.
Egypt and Sudan are not just two neighboring countries separated by political borders and natural areas, but they are in fact one homeland and one people, united by neighborliness, language, religion, culture and “friendship”, and historically linked by the Nile waters flowing north, the Pharaonic civilization when it extended south, tribes that roamed across the borders for centuries before borders were known, marriages and families, old and extended trade relations and economic interests, a shared history of resisting colonialism, similar customs and rituals, and natural affection.
If the current circumstances of the Sudanese people pushed them to immigrate and seek refuge in Egypt during the past two years, then much larger numbers of them settled decades ago, so they lived, worked, learned and raised their sons and daughters without being known for noise, disturbance or tension, but rather they merged with us and among us and became one of us and added a lot to us.
Today, the Sudanese are in a crisis, or rather a nightmare that does not seem to have an end in sight, and no one cares about it.
But what is certain is that every nightmare – no matter how long – has an end, and that the people of Sudan will return to their country one day because, just like us, they are connected to their homelands, origins, villages, and ancestors’ graves by the same magical bond that lies within us, and that makes the Egyptian farmer, worker, and expatriate employee, no matter how long his absence, dream every evening of nothing but returning and sitting among his family.
And when the time comes to return, I hope that every Sudanese will have memories with him that he can tell his grandchildren about the months or years he spent among us, memories that he was safe, welcomed, able to treat his father and mother, and educate his sons and daughters, and busy himself with what would benefit him and his family, and that Egypt – when all else was at hand – was present, welcoming, and open-armed to our dear brothers.

Quoted from “Al-Masry Al-Youm”