Sudanese Families Pay the Price of Displacement: Bonds Erode and Families Break Apart

For decades, Sudanese society was characterized by strong family ties and a cohesive social fabric, reflected in the extended-family model, in which several generations lived under one roof. The extended family was considered one of the pillars of social stability, as well as a foundation for upbringing, security, and mutual support.

 

However, the war that erupted between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in mid-April 2023 has torn apart family bonds and caused unprecedented fragmentation within Sudanese families. It has deeply undermined the traditional cohesion of the family by scattering its members across different parts of the country and neighboring states, while forcing them to cope with displacement and changing roles and responsibilities.

 

Despite the government’s return and resumption of its duties from Khartoum, as well as its calls for citizens to return following the recapture of the capital and the declaration that it was free of rebel forces, families continue to suffer from geographical separation. The ongoing repercussions of the war continue to cast a negative shadow over the structure and stability of Sudanese families.

 

According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the armed conflict in Sudan has forced around 14 million people to flee their homes, including 9 million internally displaced people and 4.4 million who have crossed borders into neighboring countries.

 

Uncertainty

 

Fatima Habib, a government employee, said, “The war forced me to move from one state to another in search of safety with my family of five. Like many other displaced families, I was certain that the war would not last long. But its expansion prolonged the conflict, eventually forcing me to seek refuge in a neighboring country.”

 

She added, “After arriving and settling our situation, we continued living together as a family for two consecutive years until the government ordered state employees to return following the resumption of its work from Khartoum and the announcement that the militias had been defeated. The decision was truly a shock, particularly because it was accompanied by threats of dismissal and suspension of monthly salaries if employees failed to comply. I depend directly on my salary to meet my family’s needs.”

 

Habib continued, “Because the situation in Khartoum remains unclear, particularly with the city being targeted by drones from time to time, and because our home was destroyed during the intense military operations in the Al-Fiteihab area of Omdurman and its belongings were looted, I decided to leave my family and their father behind and return alone. But I was confronted with the painful reality of family separation.”

 

She explained that “my situation is neither isolated nor exceptional. It has affected a large proportion of family members who have become geographically separated. This is undoubtedly a major transformation and a shift in roles. I now feel deep sadness because I am separated from my family, especially since I left behind a child who is only 10 years old.”

 

The government employee noted that “family separation is a long-term consequence of the war, rather than a temporary condition associated with the initial wave of displacement. It is also driven by the deterioration of economic and security conditions and the rising cost of survival. Around 81 percent of families have members living separately, either inside Sudan or abroad.”

 

Planning and Preference

 

Sudanese citizen Mustafa Ibrahim said, “The war in Sudan has not only destroyed buildings; it has also contributed to destroying the cohesion of the family, which has historically been known for its strong social fabric. The ongoing conflict has torn apart family bonds that once brought grandparents, parents, children, uncles and other relatives together under one roof in relationships based on social and emotional security.”

 

Ibrahim explained that “family separation has become a lived reality imposed by the intersecting consequences of the war. It is not limited to the social dimension; it also creates additional financial burdens. The head of the household, whether the mother or father, may be forced to pay rent for two or more households amid an unprecedented rise in rental costs.”

 

He continued, “Families are now planning to return and live together under one roof again, but they face the challenge of determining their children’s future amid unstable living conditions, disrupted education, the collapse of electricity and water services, and the difficulty of rebuilding and repairing homes. There is also a lack of security due to ongoing threats, in addition to the high cost of living, which is the biggest obstacle to family reunification. In my view, this harsh reality has led most families to prefer remaining divided between different parts of the country and abroad, despite the enormous financial cost.”

 

Severe Consequences

 

Meanwhile, Saeeda Al-Noor, who lives in the Al-Azhari suburb of southern Khartoum, said, “Family separation has doubled our suffering. Before the war, I lived a stable life with my husband and four children in our home in Al-Azhari. But the circumstances of the war forced us to move to Kassala State, where my family lives. As the war dragged on, employment opportunities disappeared and rental costs increased. Our savings were exhausted, and our psychological suffering worsened, particularly for my husband because he is the family’s breadwinner.”

 

Al-Noor added, “Under these harsh circumstances, my husband, with the assistance of relatives, managed to travel to a Gulf country in search of better opportunities. I remained with my children, struggling with family separation and searching for an income that would allow me to support our small family until my husband’s situation improved. Unfortunately, he was unable to find a job because of his advanced age, which forced him to return to the country.”

 

She continued, “Unfortunately, our living conditions deteriorated to an unbearable level. Our disagreements and problems increased because of this difficult situation, and we had no choice but to separate. I never expected the war to destroy my family bonds in this way or that I would end up living alone without my husband. But this has now become our reality.”

 

A Heavy Price

 

Social specialist Rania Abdelati explained that “the war has produced consequences that have transformed the concept of family, particularly for families that continue to experience separation, with the resulting psychological, social and economic pressures. More seriously, families have begun managing these risks by distributing their members across different locations. In some cases, the breadwinner works in one country while the rest of the family remains in another. At other times, family separation is driven by employment circumstances following government threats to dismiss employees who fail to return.”

 

Abdelati continued, “As a result, the family has become a distributed network in which each member assumes responsibilities for survival. This comes at a social and family cost, particularly as rent, education and healthcare expenses continue to rise. Families also increasingly depend on bank transfers amid the collapse of the banking system and the repeated disruption of banking applications. The prolonged absence of the breadwinner also changes family roles and shifts responsibilities to another member. A mother may become the breadwinner, or the eldest daughter may assume the role of head of the household.”

 

She pointed out that “the consequences of the war do not stop at relationships between parents and children. They also extend to marital relationships amid the deep psychological scars left by the conflict, which have contributed to an increase in family disputes, particularly with the loss of sources of income. Problems have also increased over the management of property and assets, along with other disputes within the same family.”

 

She further noted that “this transformation and shifting of roles experienced by many Sudanese families during the war has not only scattered family members geographically; it has also redefined what it means for a family to survive. Families are no longer measuring their cohesion by living in the same place, but rather by the sacrifices made through the redistribution of roles.”