The ongoing civil war in Sudan has devastated the population, and the country is experiencing one of the largest refugee and hunger crises in the world. Since the conflict broke out in April 2023, people have been forced to leave behind everything they’ve ever known and begin the long trek to neighboring countries, such as Chad and South Sudan. Many displaced persons arrive malnourished, distressed, ill, and injured.
For 27-year-old Nyibol Mathiang Deng, the journey from Muglad, Sudan to Majok, South Sudan took four long days of travel by car, motorcycle, and foot. She endured this journey while six months pregnant.
More than 8.8 million people have fled their homes since April 2023, when the violence broke out. Many families are living in a cycle of displacement, having already left South Sudan and settling in Sudan years prior. Now, over 120,000 people like Nyibol have returned to South Sudan through the border town of Majok. These “returnees” enter the country with next to nothing, often facing unprecedented hunger.
Nyibol and her daughter searched for safety after an attack from armed men upended their lives. They successfully crossed the border after a month of hardship and conflict and a long trek over dangerous roads to reunite with her husband and eldest daughter in Majok.
Before conflict broke out, Nyibol lived a simple life. She enjoyed tending to their family farm and together they grew peanuts. The wet seasons were prosperous for her family of four. During the dry seasons, when rain didn’t come, their peanut harvest was stored in a silo to make peanut paste to sell in the market. Days moved fast for the couple with two young daughters.
More than 8.8 million people in Sudan have fled their homes since April 2023. Today, 24.8 million people are in urgent need of assistance. Refugees are making dangerous treks over borders in search of safety. Action Against Hunger is on the ground providing emergency assistance to families every day.
Although their lives were good, Nyibol still had concerns. “I had worries living there as a refugee from South Sudan,” she said. “Refugees in Sudan are targets for criminals, gunmen can take your livestock or property.”
One night, Nyibol’s life changed forever when armed men attacked her home. They were wielding knives and guns and quickly made their way through Nyibol’s village in the dark. They knocked on the door of her next-door neighbors and when the door opened the armed men stabbed her neighbor. The neighbor managed to break free but was badly wounded, and the gunman then set fire to the young man’s house.
Action Against Hunger has been working in Sudan since 2017. Last year, our teams reached over 470,000 people. We provide emergency assistance, prevent and treat malnutrition, and work alongside partners to improve food security.
Then, they turned their attention to Nyibol’s house. “They burned my house,” Nyibol said, crying. “My husband and I ran from the attack. We got separated running for our survival.” She ran only with the clothes they had on their backs, losing all their belongings in the flames.
“I had no idea if my husband or daughter was alive,” she said. “I thought maybe they were killed. The next day after the attack I returned to our old house to search through the ash, looking for them thinking they may have burned to death. But I saw no one.”
The gunmen were likely criminals, rather than associated with any party or state. Nyibol claims the violent attack was a targeted one for a cash exchange the criminals witnessed earlier.
Since the war, criminals in Sudan have made targeted attacks on South Sudanese families. Nyibol was left to fear for her life and said she carried a gun with her to ward off other attackers.
On the fourth day after the assault, Nyibol received a phone call. She was shocked by the news — it was her husband confirming he was alive and safe with their daughter in Majok. “I could not believe it!” she said. “When I received his phone call after we got separated, I thought it must be someone pretending to be him. When there were no bodies in the ash I thought maybe they dragged them somewhere to be killed. I did not think they ran to South Sudan.”
Her journey to Majok started the moment the phone call with her husband ended.
Nyibol quickly secured a job as a live-in housekeeper to save enough money for the long trek to South Sudan. She worked for the equivalent of a dollar a day to do washing and daily house chores Nyibol’s husband in Majok helped make travel arrangements. Fears of the getaway consumed Nyibol’s mind, and she felt especially vulnerable as a pregnant woman. Still, her eagerness to connect with her loved ones served as a bright light at the end of the tunnel.
Over a month after receiving the first phone call from her husband, Nyibol set off for Majok. She and her daughter ventured out in a packed car full of refugees and returnees fleeing from war.
Nyibol set off for Majok. She and her daughter ventured out in a packed car full of refugees and returnees fleeing from war. “The journey was terrible. When I was in a town close to the border of South Sudan, that is where my husband sent a motorcycle to collect us,” she said. “When we reached the bridge of South Sudan the motorbike broke down, so I had to walk on foot. My shoes got damaged and the sun was very hot. I was so tired by the time I reached Majok, my feet were swollen.”
At the border checkpoint, Action Against Hunger supplied Nyibol and her daughter with energy biscuits and screened them for malnutrition. Nyibol was thankful that she survived the tiresome journey. After checking in at the border she finally reunited with her loved ones. “I was very excited! Even last night I could not sleep, I was laughing and very happy inside,” she said.
Finally together, the family will now travel to Kuajok, the capital city of South Sudan’s Warrap state. There, Nyibol will reunite with more family: this time, her mother and father-in-law, who live peacefully there.
She faces an uncertain future. “I feel confused, I don’t know what to do,” she said about her new life. “If the rain comes, I’ll consider farming, but I don’t have any tools or seeds. I will just see. I’m unsure if my livelihood will be okay. All I can do is try to live my best.”
Action Against Hunger is working to support returnees like Nyibol as they cross the border back to South Sudan. Along with malnutrition screenings and treatment, our teams direct families to support centers in cities like New Fangak.
Action Against Hunger has worked in South Sudan since 1985. Last year, we reached over 1.1 million people. Our teams formed a crisis response plan in April 2023 immediately after conflict broke out in Sudan. We have provided hundreds of families who have been displaced by conflict with life-saving, urgent assistance. We are distributing cash, building latrines, and providing hygiene kits that include soap, buckets, plastic sheets, and water purification tablets.
Action Against Hunger leads the global movement to end hunger. We innovate solutions, advocate for change, and reach 21 million people every year with proven hunger prevention and treatment programs. As a nonprofit that works across 56 countries, our 8,900 dedicated staff members partner with communities to address the root causes of hunger, including climate change, conflict, inequity, and emergencies. We strive to create a world free from hunger, for everyone, for good.
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