Mahdi tells his story
“I was getting ready to go to school when Mama told me that there was a war. We sat down and watched the news on TV, where we saw soldiers carrying guns and shooting. I had heard about wars like the one between Russia and Ukraine, so I didn’t feel afraid at first.
“But later, a military plane flew above and started firing.
“At home, my siblings didn’t seem too scared, but soon we had to leave to Wad Madani. The journey was difficult, we had to travel on rough, hidden roads, rarely using the main ones.
“Along the way, we encountered armed group wearing civilian clothes. They stopped our bus and searched through our bags, speaking in loud, angry voices. A little later, we came across another armed group, this time in official uniforms. They asked about my older brothers, which made me really scared. My mom told them that we were all her children, and after that, they let us continue on our way.
“Later, we met other soldiers who were kinder. They didn’t search our bus, and one of them joked with me through the window, saying: “Come down and grab a gun, aren’t you a man?”
“Even though we had food packed for the road, I didn’t feel hungry.
“On the road, I saw lots of burnt cars and buildings destroyed by bombs. I was really worried about our home, my school, and my friends.
“We arrived in Madani and stayed in a house, but it wasn’t as nice as our home in Khartoum. I thought we would settle there for a while. I made new friends and joined a local football team.
“We played against other neighbourhood teams, and it felt a little like normal life again. But then my mom came to us again and said that war had arrived to where we are, so we had to leave for Kassala.
“Once again, we travelled in a bus through desert roads, and the journey felt endless. I don’t like Kassala because I can’t play football here. But I do like our house it’s a bit like our home in Khartoum.
“Still, I can’t shake the feeling that war might start here too… If that happens, I guess we’ll have to move again. I don’t know where we’ll go next.
“If I could talk to the armed group, I would tell them: stop the war.”
*Name changed to protect privacy
