Families search for missing loved ones as conflict shatters Sudan, South Sudan

Refugees from South Sudan wait to be settled outside the Khour Al-Waral refugee camp in Al-Salam locality, Sudan, May 18, 2017. (Photo: Xinhua)

Thousands of families across Sudan and South Sudan remain trapped in the anguish of searching for loved ones who disappeared amid years of conflict.

Among them is Mary Justine, a 48-year-old resident of Juba's Limon Gaba suburb, who was separated from her 16-year-old son during an outbreak of violence in South Sudan in 2016. A decade later, she struggles to come to terms with his absence.

"That experience was extremely painful for our family. Losing a child without knowing what happened to him leaves a wound that is difficult to describe. The memories remain with you, and the tears continue to come whenever you remember those difficult days," Justine told Xinhua on Friday.

She is now a member of the Association of Families of Missing Persons, a support network connecting relatives who share the hope of reuniting with missing family members.

With assistance from two organisations - the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the South Sudan Red Cross - the association has helped members turn shared grief into lasting bonds of mutual support.

"The suffering has brought us closer together. We now understand that despite our different backgrounds, we share the same pain and the same hope for peace. We must support one another and refuse to remain silent about the suffering caused by conflict," Justine said.

Similarly, 52-year-old Sudanese refugee Sadia Habib is struggling to trace her daughter and son, who vanished after conflict erupted in Khartoum in April 2023.

"The war has caused tremendous suffering for my family. I lost my daughter and her children, and I also lost my son during the conflict," she said.

"We have not stopped looking for them. The South Sudan Red Cross has continued searching and following up on the case. I was told that if they find any information, they will inform us and help us reunite with our loved ones," Habib added.

In a rare moment of relief, 54-year-old Sudanese national Mahmoud Al-Tijani Ahmed Bashir was recently reunited with the last of his six children, who went missing during South Sudan's 2016 conflict.

Hailing from Sudan's Blue Nile State, Bashir welcomed his son home after the ICRC successfully traced him to neighbouring Uganda.

"We did not know where he was for a long time. We continued searching and remained hopeful. When we received information that he might be in Uganda, we contacted ICRC and provided the information necessary to help trace him," he said.

Daniel Bunnskog, head of delegation for the ICRC in South Sudan, noted that the organisation helped trace and reunite 188 missing persons with their families out of more than 6,200 open cases between January and June.

"In the first half of the year, something positive that we want to share is that 188 cases of missing persons were clarified, which shows that there is a possibility to find answers. We hope that this positive resolution will continue," Bunnskog said.

He said the ICRC has worked closely with the South Sudanese Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management to draft a missing persons bill, describing it as a crucial piece of legislation that will strengthen the capacity and competence of authorities tasked with searching for missing individuals.

Source: https://eastleighvoice.co.ke/south-sudan/395351/families-search-for-missing-loved-ones-as-conflict-shatters-sudan-south-sudan