The General Compound Of The Burhaniyya Order, A Destination For Poor Victims

Portsudan, Sudanow_ They awoke that morning to the sounds of bullets and live ammunition that shook the walls and planted terror in the hearts of the neighborhood's residents. Shooting and shelling were everywhere, relentless, striking them with panic. They did not know what was happening or where these projectiles were coming from. Fear engulfed the area, and everyone went out asking what was happening. They learned from official media that Daglo family militia had rebelled against the state, and the armed forces were engaged in fierce battles to repel their treacherous attack.
Since then, the sounds of ammunition and bullets have not stopped. War has broken out in the country, and the neighborhood's residents began to leave and flee to safer areas and states. However, Nawal and some of her neighbors, who own nothing but the houses they live in, have no savings, money, or means to move anywhere. Nawal, in her seventies, remained in her house with her paralyzed brother. She has nothing but her meager civil service pension, which barely suffices for her needs, and she is the one who cares for him, assisted by her twenty-year-old nephew.
Within a few days, the situation worsened, and things deteriorated further. Markets began to be looted, commercial shops destroyed, and hospitals shelled by Daglo family militia in Khartoum. Markets closed, and the supply of water and electricity was cut off, along with a severe shortage of food and medicine.
Nawal and her neighbors in the area remained trapped amidst the projectiles and bullets, with all means cut off. They live in the center of Khartoum, in the Al-Deim area, right in the line of fire. Most of their neighbors who did not leave their homes were elderly and poor, with no destination to go to and no means of leaving.
Nawal's fears and suffering increased. She had no choice but to stay with her brother in their home. But relief came when a neighbor approached her, bringing good news that their problem had been solved.

The General Compound of the Burhaniyya-Dusuqiyya-Shaziliyya Sufi Order had opened its doors to those in need and was providing food and water to all the residents of the neighborhood.
Nawal could not believe what she heard and rushed towards the compound with her neighbors. They found the residents of the neighborhood lined up, filling their containers from the compoud's water well, which was powered by solar energy. They were also distributed meals. Since then, the compound has become a refuge and destination for all the residents of the neighborhood.
According to one of the members of the Order who took refuge in the compound said: the compound's buildings were hit by militia shells, which struck the mosque, destroying part of it and causing significant damage. The Imam Fakhr al-Din Health Center, a comprehensive charitable treatment center with all specialties affiliated with the Imam Fakhr al-Din Charitable Organization and including a pharmacy, was also closed down, rendering it out of service. He explained that the buildings of the General Complex of the Burhaniyya Order also include the shrine of the Order's Sheikhs (Sheikh Muhammad Uthman Abdu al-Burhani and his son Sheikh Ibrahim), as well as residential annexes for scholars, students, and those seeking knowledge, and another for guests, strangers, and wayfarers, where those fleeing the inferno of the militia, who displaced them from their homes and looted their properties and found no means or way to leave for safe areas or states, were hosted.

He added that the role of the General Compound of the Burhaniyya Order was not limited to providing shelter and food, but there were also volunteers of doctors and medical staff from the Imam Fakhr al-Din Charitable Organization who chose to stay to provide treatment and assist the sick and the weak, despite the risks.
He affirmed that this generosity did not stop but continued throughout the past two years, despite the militia's harassment and assaults, including beatings and arbitrary arrests of many young men who were stranded and sought refuge in the complex (where a number of those arrested died due to torture and their deaths were announced after the army stormed Khartoum and liberated the prisoners).
Nawal lived through difficult and painful days, struggling to survive with the ongoing harassment from militia members and their repeated demands that she give them her savings, knowing that she had not even received her April salary. The harassment continued until her nephew (who supported her) was arrested while on his way to the Order's compound to bring water, food, and medicine. Her neighbors also suffered many violations and were confined to their homes. As for the sick who could not obtain treatment or medicine, they died and were buried in public squares in the neighborhood.

Nawal and her neighbors grew tired, and their suffering increased. Despite the militia's cruelty and tyranny, they did not break, and the General Compound of the Burhaniyya Order remained a fortress of resilience and relief, resisting death by providing food, treatment, and shelter for her and her neighbors.
However, the militia did not stop at arrests, beatings, and theft. They also attacked the compound, looted its properties, stole from it, and beat the young volunteers, preventing them from reaching the markets (Al-Deim, Abu Hamama, and the Central Market operate under the militia's control).
As for the citizens in the area, they lived in a state of terror and humiliation. They could not move anywhere, and staying meant being killed in their own homes or while desperately searching for food, water, and medicine.
The Minister of Religious Affairs and Endowments, Dr. Omar Bakhit, said that the rebel militia and those behind it aimed not only to weaken Sudan's capabilities in order to control the country's rich resources but also deliberately sought to destroy the social fabric of the Sudanese people or target their Islamic faith. The values of social solidarity, respect for neighbors, and family cohesion are inherent in their sound nature, in their morals and dealings, and are derived from their Islamic faith.
He affirmed that all crimes, violations, and destruction that affected mosques, Islamic places of worship, Khalwas (Quranic schools), religious complexes, and even churches, which were not spared the desecration of the rebel militia, have been documented. The attacks ranged from deliberate shelling aimed at emptying mosques of worshippers, as several mosques were subjected to tragic incidents that claimed the lives of dozens of imams and worshippers, to turning others into military barracks and weapons depots.
According to initial documented statistics, the rebel militia destroyed approximately 1002 mosques and 51 churches in the areas under their control. The damage ranged from arson, destruction, and vandalism, and they were used as sites for committing all immoral and unethical acts that contravene religious values, customs, and traditions.
Dr. Ahmed Al-Mufti, the Director-General of the Khartoum International Center for Human Rights, described these crimes as among the most heinous human rights violations and the most criminal, noting that all laws criminalize these acts. The International Criminal Law also established a special court (ICC) for these and other international crimes, classifying them as international crimes, which is the highest degree of criminalization, as stated in the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.
Undoubtedly, expressions of condemnation are no longer sufficient to awaken the human conscience regarding these attacks and crimes committed by Daglo family militia, which are classified as war crimes against Sudanese people who stood behind their leadership and armed forces.

With the dawn of liberation, the advance of the armed forces, their overwhelming victory, and the defeat of the militia after they managed to liberate and regain Khartoum and other areas defiled by the treacherous militia, those weary souls whose bodies were exhausted by suffering and whose spirits were shattered by humiliation, and where fear controlled everything, regained hope and the ability to live after even breathing had become a challenge.
The arrival of the armed forces was a lifeline for Nawal and her neighbors after they had lost everything, even the ability to cry. They were evacuated to safe areas in the Al-Remaila neighborhoods, and shelters were prepared for them. There, they were provided with food, care, and treatment. Nawal slept that night in the camp with a peaceful heart, filled with the tranquility and reassurance she had lost for two years. She woke up the next day as if in a dream, unable to believe that the nightmare had ended. She went out to check on her neighbors, her heart filled with joy. They are now only waiting to return to their homes, but who will restore their stolen rights?

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