Saturday, April 29: War In the City
The ongoing violence in Sudan has led to tens of thousands of people looking to escape chaos by flowing north over the border into Egypt. Already there are stories of days-long delays at the border with travelers suffering in the heat without food, water, medical care, or even shelter.
Many of those waiting to cross have been recently traumatized by the heavy artillery and air strikes that hit their homes or struck nearby after battles broke out between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) a few weeks ago. The fighting has already killed at least 460 people, injured several thousand more, and shut down an estimated 60% of the capital city’s hospitals.
There are two main Sudanese border crossings into Egypt, Argeen and Qustul-Ashkit in Wadi Halfa, and they are on the west and east banks of Nubia Lake, respectively. All males between the ages of 17 and 49 have been told to go to Halfa to apply for an Egyptian visa at the consulate there. Women and males younger than 17 and older than 49 can cross at Argeen without visas, meaning many families are being separated and having to wait in Argeen for their male relatives to get through. Of course because the Egyptian government is involved, the process has been inefficient and chaotic.
The situation will likely only get worse as these border communities have been underfunded and forgotten by the Egyptian government for decades. If the violence in Sudan continues much longer it could develop into a full-blown crisis.
Side Items
Another Day, Another Shooting: The classic American story, a man in Texas went next door with a gun and began shooting his neighbors, killing an 8-year-old and four others inside the house, after the neighboring family requested he stop firing rounds in his yard because they were trying to sleep. Truly one of the only countries on the planet where this kind of thing happens on a regular basis
And Another: A man in southern California was found guilty of murder after killing three teenage boys by intentionally ramming their car after they played a doorbell-ringing prank on him. With the number of doorbell-ringing pranks I played as a child, I know I wouldn’t have lasted in these modern streets. Blessed to have been a child of the 90’s and early 00’s