Throughout the three years of war, displacement journeys were not merely forced for hundreds of thousands fleeing Khartoum, Omdurman and Al-Jazirah to River Nile State, particularly the cities of Atbara and Ad-Damar. Some displaced families returned to the hometowns of their extended relatives, while others encountered the towns and villages of the state for the first time, after generations of parents and grandparents had left for the capital, Khartoum, during different eras and for varied reasons.
After three years of displacement, this new social presence in the cities of River Nile State has produced noticeable social and economic transformations. The displaced carried with them to the northern banks of the Nile a renewed pulse, new cultures, experiences and trades, while local communities exchanged forms of knowledge and familiarity that might never have emerged without this encounter forged through the hardships of war and displacement.
A Reunion After Separation
When the war erupted on April 15, Mohammed Ali Hassan was living in the relatively safe district of Dar Al Salam, west of Omdurman. Until the end of the conflict’s first month, clashes had not reached the neighborhood.
“We would still gather outside our homes for Ramadan iftar as usual,” he recalled, “watching the flashes of shellfire flicker in the distant sky while discussing what was unfolding. Most residents believed the fighting was only a brief confrontation that would soon subside, while others swore with certainty that a swift agreement would bring the sudden conflict to an end.”
Conditions remained bearable to some extent until Eid al-Fitr that year. But afterward, the situation deteriorated sharply, and residents were no longer spared from gunfire. Matters escalated further when armed clashes erupted on the very street where Hassan and his family lived.
“We saw the bodies of two Rapid Support Forces fighters lying outside a neighbor’s home,” he said. “Fearing collective reprisals against the neighborhood, most families decided to flee, carrying only the bare minimum of their belongings.”
Mohammed left with his family for River Nile State in June 2023, accompanied by his father, an 86-year-old man who had not returned to his birthplace for years because of deteriorating health.
“When we arrived in our village of Al-Aliab, south of Ad-Damar, one of my father’s elderly sisters burst into tears and shouted, ‘Long live Hemedti!’ She had not seen him in many years,” Mohammed recalled.
There was an unintentional irony in the moment: only war had managed to reunite a family long scattered by work, migration, and the demands of life in Sudan.
In January this year, Mohammed returned once more to Omdurman after spending 32 months with his extended family in the home of a relative in the village.
Environmental Engineering From Behind a Shop Counter
Environmental engineer Bakri Mohammed Ali Al-Sheikh returned from Ombada’s Fourth District in Omdurman to his family in River Nile State, settling in the village of Al-Hasaya in rural Ad-Damar a month and six days after war broke out in Khartoum and conditions in his neighborhood sharply deteriorated.
Because of the rarity of his specialization and the scarcity of employment opportunities, Bakri had previously worked a variety of jobs in the capital. A few days after arriving in the village, he came across a grocery shop belonging to his expatriate cousin that had long remained shuttered and decided to reopen it.
“I already had experience running small neighborhood shops, and I know how to make yogurt, ful beans and falafel,” Bakri told Atar. “My family also has a long history of migration and trade across parts of Darfur.”
The shop succeeded beyond Bakri’s expectations. Revenues climbed steadily, customers multiplied, and eventually his father and brothers joined him in the business, to the point that the store began competing with long-established shops in nearly every respect.
“The only real challenge I face in the village is debt,” he said. “Money here is tied to harvest seasons because the overwhelming majority of residents are farmers.”
Yet the most rewarding part of working in the village, Bakri said, was that it allowed him to know his relatives more intimately, and for them to know him as well.
After spending nearly three years there, he is now considering returning to Omdurman while leaving the shop operating.
“Things are good here, thanks to Allah,” he said.
Bakri remains in the village, having now completed two years and 11 months there.
From the Pen to the Hoe
Sometimes we sit down for a short rest in the middle of work and shift from the language of farming to conversations about linguistics.
Mujahid Ali Suleiman, former university lecturer displaced to River Nile State
In December 2023, Mujahid Ali Suleiman arrived in River Nile State from Jabal Awliya, south of Khartoum, after war forced him to flee to the area where his wife’s family lives. Mujahid had worked as a university lecturer teaching English at Ahfad University for Women before moving to Saudi Arabia, returning to Sudan in 2022.
The realities of postwar life, compounded by his health conditions, pushed Mujahid toward agricultural work after settling in the village of Al-Jabarab, south of Ad-Damar.
“I didn’t view farming any differently from many traditional farmers, and I had never actually practiced agriculture before, though I did have some knowledge of vegetable cultivation,” he told Atar. “I refused to surrender, and I had determination.”
“Two months after arriving in Al-Jabarab, I asked local residents to help me find work. They suggested farming and generously gave me an entire feddan of land, which I planted with okra, common purslane and mint.”
He explained that he rarely took produce to the market himself.
“Instead, I distributed it to small shops within the neighborhood. Sometimes a trader would come directly from the market and buy the entire crop at once. The traders set the prices, and there is little room to argue with them. That is the reality facing most small-scale farmers.”
He added that seeds and fertilizer were never a major problem because the cultivated plots were relatively small. Marketing, however, remained the greatest obstacle, forcing him at times to dry okra to reduce losses and sell it later.
Mujahid also spoke warmly of the support he received from Salah Abdullah Al-Darmali, a university graduate from the village who works as a farmer and specializes in Arabic language studies.
“Sometimes we sit down for a short rest in the middle of work,” Mujahid said, “and shift from the language of the farming to conversations about linguistics.”
If the war ends, Mujahid says he intends to return to his former profession as a university lecturer, leaving behind the hoe. He suffers from a retinal condition that forced him to travel to India in July 2025 despite severe financial strain, though he was unable to complete treatment.
“I do not think I will remain here forever,” he said. “Life in the village is beautiful, security levels are high, and the people have shown me extraordinary generosity. But I think about my children. The city is a vast vessel where they can engage with different cultures that may benefit them in the future, in addition to offering better educational opportunities.”
New Musical Recordings
When an artist hears their voice in the studio with professional-quality sound, they feel an enormous difference because this environment never previously existed in the state.
Abdelaleem Sayed, owner of Effect artistic production company
Abdelaleem Sayed, owner of the artistic production company “Effect,” arrived in Atbara in May 2023 after being displaced by the war, relocating and reshaping his creative work from Khartoum to River Nile State.
He settled in Atbara because of its security and calm atmosphere before quickly resuming work in the heart of the city.
Abdelaleem managed to overcome persistent electricity outages and intermittent internet disruptions. He rented a small apartment downtown after losing most of his equipment in Khartoum, salvaging only a fraction of it. His losses included professional cameras, office furniture and technical devices.
Yet he refused to stop.
In July 2023, he traveled to Egypt, where he spent eight months acquiring an entirely new set of professional equipment before returning to launch a specialized recording studio in Atbara. Relying on Facebook advertising, he quickly built a reputation within the city’s artistic community.
The studio introduced a noticeable transformation in the quality of tambour music recordings. Artists, Abdelaleem said, immediately recognized a substantial improvement in sound clarity and recording quality compared with previous standards.
“When an artist hears their voice in the studio with professional-quality sound,” he told Atar, “they feel an enormous difference, because the state simply did not previously have the technical environment necessary for professional recording.”
Abdelaleem describes audiences in Atbara and Ad-Damar as deeply “attentive listeners” with a refined appreciation for music and strong loyalty to local artists.
“Unlike audiences in Khartoum, people in Atbara know one another more closely, giving every concert a distinctly familial atmosphere, even when the events are large,” he said.
Abdelaleem introduced sampler devices and keyboards into tambour music performances to produce a clearer sound capable of competing with mainstream songs across Sudan.
“At first, the artists were wary of the change,” he said. “They would say, ‘That’s the talk of Khartoum youth.’ But once they heard the final result, they were astonished. Artists now arrive at the studio confident that their voices will emerge exactly as they had imagined, rather than as a mere recording.”
Transformations in the Markets
Somaya Al-Tijani, a resident of Ad-Damar who works in the medical field, compares the city’s old market before and after the waves of displacement.
“Before the war and displacement, we often had no idea what a shop contained unless we asked the owner or walked inside to inspect the goods ourselves,” she told Atar. “Now, the era of scarcity is over.”
Somaya has also noticed a steady rise in the number of shops and restaurants carrying new names reminiscent of businesses in Khartoum.
She listed several examples: “Al-Nilein Fish Restaurants, Fareed Ful, Sharkles Burger and the Thalj Mashwi Cafeteria, which was associated with Ahfad University for Women in Omdurman, in addition to the famous Al-Basha Sweets, which has opened new branches.”
She pointed to the illuminated signs carrying those names, along with evolving advertising methods, product displays and the overall appearance of businesses established by displaced residents from Khartoum, all of which intensified competition in the local market.
“Even restaurants in Ad-Damar used to serve little beyond ful and falafel,” she added. “But young people displaced from Khartoum and Wad Madani launched small and large cafeteria businesses, along with delivery services and mobile food trucks. Suddenly, we began seeing pastries, pizza, drinks and sandwiches with entirely new flavors — things I once imagined belonged to the realm of science fiction meals.”
Somaya said the area welcomed displaced families with open arms, as they made use of abandoned homes whose original occupants had left decades earlier for cities such as Khartoum and Wad Madani in search of better living conditions.
“Some of these houses had been partially ruined and neglected for years. When people returned because of the war, each person rediscovered the value of land and inheritance. The homes were cleaned and renovated again, as if they had restored the spirits of their ancestors who once lived there,” she said.
As for agricultural land, Somaya noted the emergence of occasional disputes over ownership rights, though they are most often resolved amicably within families.
In Sports
Former Al-Dar Club player Mustafa Babiker Hashim, now a basketball coach in Atbara, said displaced people from Khartoum have helped revitalize sports in general.
Upon their arrival in Atbara, he said, they immediately began asking about venues for different sports, particularly basketball and football.
This enthusiasm encouraged Mustafa to resume training sessions, which initially took place at the Graduates Club grounds.
“I bought a ball and started training alone in the club yard,” he told Atar. “Then a group of 20 young players joined me, most of them from Khartoum State, followed later by veteran players.”
Later, he began training children who had arrived from Khartoum.
“The response was extremely strong,” he said. “Eventually, some children from Atbara also joined.”
He explained that modest weekly subscriptions paid by players helped cover the team’s basic social needs, such as buying nets or organizing simple gatherings with tea and zalabia for younger players after practice.
“Alongside the training sessions, I also offered advice on nutrition and alternative options under current wartime conditions,” he added.
Mustafa said he noticed that children from Khartoum were especially committed to attending training, often arriving as early as 3 p.m.
Khartoum at Night
As women in a conservative local society, we finally found more space. Now I can go shopping or visit people at any hour without intrusive stares.
Somaya Al-Tijani, resident of Ad-Damar
Somaya Al-Tijani says the streets of her hometown, Ad-Damar, have become crowded with people and lively well into the night.
“As women in a conservative local society, we finally found more space,” she said. “We used to go out at specific times and return at specific times. Now I can visit people and go shopping at any hour without receiving suspicious or intrusive stares.”
According to Somaya, the town once had only a single makeup artist, no more than three beauty salons and a handful of boutiques offering limited products. But after the war, new competitors emerged along with modern, well-equipped shops in both Atbara and Ad-Damar.
“Young men and women from Khartoum and Wad Madani did not give in to circumstances,” she said. “They quickly overcame the shock of war, displacement, loss of property and jobs, and came up with rapid ideas for work and income generation, from mobile phone credit vending to selling falafel grills.”
“Some of these jobs are seen by our youth as too simple, and they may prefer staying at home rather than doing them. But the sons and daughters of Khartoum, Al Jazirah and Omdurman understand the value of work.”
Regarding medical services, her field of work, Somaya said she has encountered highly skilled medical professionals displaced to the state. She also noted a significant increase in pharmacies supplying all types of medication, alongside the opening of new clinics and laboratories along Hospital Street in Ad-Damar.
“Unusually, hospital shifts now operate around the clock,” she added. “Previously, pharmacies would close early, but now they remain open even on Fridays and public holidays.”
New Teachers and Students
Mutasim Al-Khair Ahmed, a secondary school teacher, said displaced students have had a profoundly positive impact on schools, excelling in numerous public and private institutions.
“They did not bring any negative or ‘foreign’ behaviors with them,” he told Atar, “but instead reflected a positive image of their communities.”
He described their conduct as “civilized,” pointing to their high level of discipline and quick responsiveness to teachers’ instructions.
“Their presence created healthy academic competition among local students and enriched classroom participation,” he added.
The war will eventually end, but River Nile State will not be the same as it was before April 15.
A number of teachers and education professionals, including senior instructors and supervisors, also relocated from Khartoum to schools in Ad-Damar, a move Mutasim described as a major asset to the education system.
He explained that the state’s Ministry of Education distributed them across schools, and although they continued receiving salaries, the income was insufficient to meet the demands of displacement.
“The hospitable community of River Nile State was keen to ensure they were treated differently,” he said. “They received recognition from school principals and the local community, which consistently supported them by providing meals and contributing to transportation costs to offset salary shortfalls.”
The war will eventually end, and many displaced people will return home. Yet River Nile State will not be the same as it was before April 15. The experience of displacement and resettlement has left behind profound lessons, foremost among them the Sudanese people’s remarkable ability to adapt and endure under all conditions.
