{"id":50424,"date":"2025-07-01T04:20:41","date_gmt":"2025-07-01T08:20:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/world\/i-lost-a-baby-and-then-rescued-a-child-dodging-air-strikes-in-sudans-civil-war\/01\/07\/2025\/"},"modified":"2025-07-01T04:20:41","modified_gmt":"2025-07-01T08:20:41","slug":"i-lost-a-baby-and-then-rescued-a-child-dodging-air-strikes-in-sudans-civil-war","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/world\/i-lost-a-baby-and-then-rescued-a-child-dodging-air-strikes-in-sudans-civil-war\/01\/07\/2025\/","title":{"rendered":"&#8216;I lost a baby and then rescued a child dodging air strikes in Sudan&#8217;s civil war&#8217;"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>\n<\/p>\n<div data-article-body=\"true\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Aged just 19, Alawia Babiker Ahmed miscarried as she was fleeing on foot the devastating war that has ravaged Sudan&#8217;s western region of Darfur.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;I was bleeding on the way,&#8221; she told the BBC, before hastening to add that she saw people who were &#8220;worse off&#8221; during her traumatic three-day walk of about 70km (45 miles) from the besieged city of el-Fasher to the small town of Tawila.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Dodging air strikes and militiamen after her miscarriage, Alawia said she and her family came across an infant crying for his mother, who lay dead by the roadside.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Alawia said she picked up the child and took him with her: &#8220;We covered the mother and kept going.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Sudan has been wracked by a civil war since fighting broke out between the army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in April 2023, causing one of the world&#8217;s worst humanitarian crises with more than 12 million people forced to flee their homes.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Darfur has been a major flashpoint, with the RSF controlling most of the region &#8211; except for the city of el-Fasher that has remained in the hands of the army and its allies.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">El-Fasher has come under intense bombardment as the RSF tries to seize it. In April it announced plans to form a government to rival the one established by the army, raising fears that it could lead to Sudan&#8217;s partition.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Alawia said that as the bombing intensified last month, she and her family were forced to flee and walk to Tawila, west of el-Fasher.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Her brother, Marwan Mohamed Adam, 21, told the BBC that he was assaulted along the way by RSF-allied gangs &#8211; including being &#8220;beaten on my neck, arm and leg&#8221; and robbed of the few belongings that he was carrying.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Marwan added that his life was spared only because he lied to the gangs about where he had come from.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">He said the attackers took away and &#8220;executed&#8221; young men who revealed they were from el-Fasher, so when he was interrogated he claimed that he was from Shaqra, a stopover on the way to Tawila.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-3 right-3 size-10 md:size-[50px] lg:inset-0 lg:size-full lg:bg-transparent\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-0 right-0 rounded-full bg-white p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-white\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"size-4 lg:size-6\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\"><path d=\"M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed inset-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-white hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p>Marwan Mohamed Adam wants to go and live abroad [BBC]<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;You feel fear, you feel like you are already dead,&#8221; the 21-year-old told the BBC, adding that he saw three bodies on the way.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Another woman, Khadija Ismail Ali, told the BBC that &#8220;bodies were scattered all over the streets&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">She said 11 members of her family were killed during the shelling of el-Fasher, and three children died during their four-day journey from the city to Tawila.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;The children died from thirst along the way,&#8221; Khadija said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Her family&#8217;s village, el-Tarkuniya, was attacked last September by RSF-allied militias, who stole their harvest.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">They fled to the famine-stricken Zamzam camp, and then to el-Fasher and now to Tawila.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Medical charity Alima said the gunmen took the land and farms of most families when attacking villages.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Severe malnutrition, especially among children arriving in Tawila, had reached an alarming level, it added.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Alawia said her sister dropped the little food they were carrying while fleeing the air strikes and shelling that they encountered after passing Shaqra.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;It was leftover beans with a little salt we had carried in our hands to feed the children,&#8221; she said.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><img alt=\"Women, children and teenagers are on on donkey carts on 15 April 2025 after leaving Zamzam camp in Darfur\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"960\" height=\"540\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/E6F9eD7SYwR_S0aV_sQzsQ--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTU0MDtjZj13ZWJw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/bbc_us_articles_995\/f53c34fd94670db3274c67a2e3f84fc0\"\/><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-3 right-3 size-10 md:size-[50px] lg:inset-0 lg:size-full lg:bg-transparent\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-0 right-0 rounded-full bg-white p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-white\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"size-4 lg:size-6\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\"><path d=\"M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed inset-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-white hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p>Darfur has been one of the areas worst-hit by the conflict [Reuters]<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Without food or water, they trudged on and met a woman who told them they could find water in a nearby village.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The family set off after midnight for the village, but little did they know that they were walking into an area controlled by RSF fighters.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;We greeted them, but they did not answer. They told us to sit on the ground and they searched our belongings,&#8221; Alawia recalled.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The fighters took the 20,000 Sudanese pounds ($33; \u00a324) that was all the family still had, along with the clothes and shoes that they were carrying.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;My shoes weren&#8217;t good, but they still took them,&#8221; Alawia said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">She added that the RSF gunmen refused to give them water, so they all pressed on until they reached el-Koweim village. There, they spotted a well guarded by RSF fighters.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;We asked for water for at least the orphaned child, but they refused,&#8221; Alawia said, adding that she tried to push her way to the well, but the men assaulted her and beat her back.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Thirsty and exhausted, the family kept walking until reaching Tawila, where Alawia said she collapsed and was rushed to hospital.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">She was discharged after being treated. Marwan was also treated for the injuries he had sustained during the beating.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Alawia said they then searched for relatives of the infant they had rescued, and after finding some of them, handed over the child.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Alawia and her family are now living in Tawila, where a family has welcomed them into its home.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;Life is OK, thank God, but we worry about the future,&#8221; Alawia told the BBC.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Marwan said he wanted to go abroad so that he could continue with his education and start a new life.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">This is something that millions of Sudanese have done, as their lives have been shattered by a war that shows no sign of ending.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><img alt=\"Map showing which group controls which part of Sudan\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"960\" height=\"944\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/0G8OSEnAa_klvXIo37gHlg--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTk0NDtjZj13ZWJw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/bbc_us_articles_995\/6f40dd56c37585fb418a1cf909317c22\"\/><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-3 right-3 size-10 md:size-[50px] lg:inset-0 lg:size-full lg:bg-transparent\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-0 right-0 rounded-full bg-white p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-white\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"size-4 lg:size-6\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\"><path d=\"M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed inset-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-white hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p>[BBC]<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2 class=\"mb-4 text-xl font-bold md:text-2xl\">More BBC stories on Sudan war:<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><img alt=\"A woman looking at her mobile phone and the graphic BBC News Africa\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"960\" height=\"295\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/X.EL2n7fcUDVmgCDCHEGmA--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTI5NTtjZj13ZWJw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/bbc_us_articles_995\/c7a608b642136b2879dce57f6fb5d461\"\/><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-3 right-3 size-10 md:size-[50px] lg:inset-0 lg:size-full lg:bg-transparent\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-0 right-0 rounded-full bg-white p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-white\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"size-4 lg:size-6\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\"><path d=\"M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed inset-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-white hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p>[Getty Images\/BBC]<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><em>Go to <\/em><a href=\"http:\/\/bbcafrica.com\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:BBCAfrica.com;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \"><em>BBCAfrica.com<\/em><\/a><em> for more news from the African continent.<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><em>Follow us on Twitter <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BBCAfrica\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:@BBCAfrica;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \"><em>@BBCAfrica<\/em><\/a><em>, on Facebook at <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/BBCnewsafrica\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:BBC Africa;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \"><em>BBC Africa<\/em><\/a><em> or on Instagram at <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/bbcafrica\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:bbcafrica;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \"><em>bbcafrica<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"mb-4 text-xl font-bold md:text-2xl\">BBC Africa podcasts<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.yahoo.com\/news\/losing-baby-rescuing-child-dodging-040202639.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Aged just 19, Alawia Babiker Ahmed miscarried as she was fleeing on foot the devastating war that has ravaged Sudan&rsquo;s western region<br \/><button class=\"read-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/world\/i-lost-a-baby-and-then-rescued-a-child-dodging-air-strikes-in-sudans-civil-war\/01\/07\/2025\/\">Read More &rsaquo;<\/a><\/button><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":50425,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/bbc_us_articles_995\/ffe5c9cec8a2b890c82c27e312bf239b","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50424"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=50424"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50424\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/50425"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=50424"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=50424"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=50424"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}