I was in pain, I fell, and my husband had to carry me as we escaped.
Fleeing
26-year-old Aisha was home with her husband and two children when fighting erupted in Sudan’s capital, Khartoum. The sounds of gunshots were getting close to their home, and Aisha knew they must run to survive.
“My husband and I took our two children and escaped, there was no time for anything else.”— Aisha, a Sudanese refugee.
Aisha was shot as she fled. She arrived in the border town of Renk in South Sudan, after travelling for a week with a bullet still lodged in her hip.
She is one of over 600,000 people who have fled the fighting and are now living in extremely overcrowded conditions. Over 300 people share one water tap. A transit centre (where people receive services) with capacity for 4,750 people is now housing over 15,000 people. Over 1,500 people are arriving every day into two centres in Renk. Hundreds of thousands of people don’t make it into the shelters and are living out in the open.
Pain
The journey to Renk was harrowing for Aisha. At times she felt she couldn’t continue.
“I was in pain, I fell, and my husband had to carry me as we escaped. Luckily, we got a minivan that was transporting people fleeing and after a week on the road, we got here in Renk,”— Aisha, a Sudanese refugee.
With the bullet still lodged in her hip, Aisha says she did not think she would survive the journey.
Arrival
When Aisha and her family arrived, a doctor examined her and gave her pain medication, which is now finished.
Aisha’s husband is asking staff from aid organisations for help. Her pain has worsened as she hasn't gotten enough medical attention.
Her family have not been allocated a home and they are staying out in the open. They shelter in a makeshift space, which is made of clothes strung on sticks. This gives minimal protection from the heat and only some privacy. They’re waiting to register and possibly get allocated a home, depending on availability.
"We have stayed in the open since we came, the centres are full, many people share small spaces. We just spend our day and sleep here," says Aisha.
"We have stayed in the open since we came, the centres are full, many people share small spaces. We just spend our day and sleep here," says Aisha.
The arrival of over half a million people in South Sudan fleeing the Sudan conflict is stretching humanitarian efforts to their limits. Oxfam in South Sudan Country Director, Dr. Manenji Mangundu, visited Renk at the Sudan/ South Sudan Border.
"Despite the worsening situation, funding has dwindled to an extreme low, jeopardizing our ability to provide lifesaving assistance."
- Dr. Manenji Mangundu, Country Director - Oxfam South Sudan
