In the face of Sudan’s severe humanitarian crisis, Fatma Ali and her children rediscover hope following the reunion with Shamoun Idris, their husband and father.
After a heart-wrenching 18 months apart, a Sudanese father, Shamoun Idris, has been joyfully reunited with his family, recognizing them in a news segment aired by Al Jazeera.
Shamoun, along with his wife Fatma Ali and their children, initially lived in Khartoum, the capital of Sudan. However, the city turned into a war zone in August 2023 as violent clashes erupted between the national army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), escalating the ongoing conflict in Sudan.
As the situation deteriorated and shelling intensified near their residence, Fatma made the difficult decision to flee Khartoum with their children, while Shamoun chose to stay behind to protect their home from the advancing RSF, known for looting and targeting civilians.
“I felt it was necessary for them to leave,” Shamoun shared with Al Jazeera’s Mohamed Vall, who covered their story. “I remained behind to safeguard our house. We believed the conflict would conclude soon, and they would return.”
However, as violence escalated, Shamoun too was forced to escape, resulting in both parents losing contact after misplacing their phones, leaving them unaware of each other’s whereabouts.
The couple found themselves among the 7,700 Sudanese individuals reported missing by the International Committee of the Red Cross.
“I kept reassuring the children that their father was out there somewhere, unable to reach us, yet deep down, I felt lost, uncertain about his fate,” Fatma recounted.
A Heartwarming Reunion
Fatma and the children eventually arrived in Sennar, located south of Khartoum, where they took shelter in a school.
In the meantime, Shamoun was desperately searching for them until he stumbled upon an Al Jazeera report in February that featured stories about missing loved ones. To his astonishment, he saw Fatma.
“I exclaimed, ‘This is my family!’ I couldn’t believe it,” Shamoun recalled, filled with joy at recognizing them.
As Fatma listened to Shamoun recount their emotional reunion, tears streamed down her face, laden with the weight of his absence.
“I hope we can rebuild our lives together,” she expressed. “As long as I was with the children, I felt they would be OK. But their father’s absence was a profound challenge.”
“Before the conflict, our children were thriving in school. They even attended private institutions, but it has been over two years since they last stepped into a classroom, except for using them as shelter.”
Since their reunion, Shamoun has procured a small piece of land in Sennar, where he constructed a modest shack for the family.
While it lacks proper doors to shield them from rain, wind, or sun, it offers more shelter than what many other displaced individuals in Sudan possess.
For now, Shamoun and Fatma are grateful for the little privacy it provides and, most importantly, for being together once more.