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06-05-2023
KHARTOUM: BBC Arabic reporter Mohamed Osman has lived in Sudan for his entire life. When fighting broke out between rival military factions last month, he initially stayed to report on the conflict but in the end it became too dangerous. He reflects on the difficult decision to leave his homeland and make the perilous overland journey to Egypt.
Black plumes of smoke could be seen in the sky over the capital, Khartoum, adding to my impending feeling of doom. Despite a declared ceasefire, areas like Omdurman and Khartoum Bahri had already witnessed intense clashes between the army and the paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and both sides were bringing in reinforcements.
More worryingly, the sound of explosions was getting closer and closer to my neighborhood and so were the reports of intimidation of civilians by RSF fighters, which included allegations of car thefts and looting.
All of this pushed me to make the heartbreaking decision to leave.
As a journalist covering the conflict on the ground, conveying what is happening to the world is vital but major difficulties such as the inability to move, poor internet and communication services, and most importantly, the safety of my family and myself, made this departure inevitable.
Our journey started on 28 April. We left the house at noon, as it’s usually the time when the intensity of the fighting is somewhat reduced. We joined a group of people on a bus that left the city of Omdurman towards the border with 
Egypt but 10 minutes into our journey a warplane appeared in the sky, then really close to us RSF personnel opened fire – aiming at the plane. Our vehicle was stopped and suddenly surrounded by armed fighters who wanted to know where we were coming from and where we were heading.
My wife and children were terrified as the fighters pointed their guns at us. After looking inside our bus, the men allowed us to leave, only for another group of fighters to detain us again a few minutes later. That time, however, we were moved on quickly.
As we crossed the outer districts of Omdurman, we came across streets which were completely empty. Vehicles belonging to the RSF were scattered around, often parked on side streets or under trees to avoid being spotted by Sudanese military aircraft flying over the area. (Int’l Monitoring Desk)
