Sudan: 30+ People With Disabilities Detained Amid Sudan War

Kampala — The ongoing conflict in Sudan has disproportionately affected people with disabilities, with many enduring extreme hardships, Zainab Saleh, a member of the Union of Persons with Disabilities in South Darfur, explains in an interview with Dabanga.

Since the war erupted on April 15, 2023, at least 15 members of the Sudanese Union of People with Disabilities have been killed, more than 30 have been detained, while more than 500 have been displaced.

Many others remain missing, or have lost contact with their colleagues, while trapped in conflict zones alongside their families, Zainab Saleh told Dabanga in an interview, marking the International Day of People with Disabilities, observed yearly on December 3.

“This war has made us a burden on our communities and families,” Zainab said . “We have become unable to meet our personal needs.” She emphasised that people with disabilities (PwDs) in Sudan lack even the most basic necessities, and their pre-existing struggles have been exacerbated by the conflict.

Trapped

Zainab highlighted the dangers faced by people with disabilities who remain trapped in areas of intense fighting. Many are unable to find safe passages to escape or defend themselves and are forced to endure the violence without any means of protection.

“People with disabilities previously relied on specialised centres for rehabilitation, but these services have been obliterated by the war. They are certainly no longer available in displacement camps,” Zainab said, adding that the absence of safe and accessible resources has left many in desperate conditions.

Disabled people can also be targeted by fighters. There have been reports of armed men, particularly Rapid Support Forces (RSF) soldiers, shooting mentally disabled people on sight.

No services

The war has disrupted essential services for people with disabilities, including access to rehabilitation centres and prosthetic limbs. Saleh explained that those who are visually and hearing impaired cannot access tools such as canes, hearing aids, and services such as sign language translation.

“In displacement and refugee camps, the situation is even worse, with inadequate facilities for people with disabilities to use toilets, access education, or meet their basic needs. The situation is even more complicated for people with mental disabilities”, the activist said.

In an April report, the British organisation Humanity & Inclusion describes the plight of a displaced disabled young woman in Sudan. “Paralysed since childhood, she only went outside to drag herself 20 metres across the ground to reach the toilet, which itself was totally inaccessible for a person in her situation. It was painful to watch this educated young woman who had an active, independent life in Sudan, having to live in such degrading conditions”, the report reads.

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The Sudanese Union of People with Disabilities has called for immediate attention to the needs of people with disabilities, urging local and international organisations to provide support and ensure their safety as the conflict continues.

A month into the war, 14 entities representing people with disabilities in Sudan called on the international community, UN bodies, and all humanitarian organisations, to urgently provide the necessary aids and medicines for disabled people trapped in the conflict.

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