The Quest for Hajj: Sudanese Pilgrims' Long Journey amid Turmoil
Hajj 2023 is expected to start on June 25, and thousands of pilgrims from around the world have already arrived in the kingdom to perform the annual Islamic pilgrimage. However, for pilgrims from Sudan, the journey to Makkah is not easy, as they have to travel through a country torn by violence and chaos.
The conflict in Sudan, which erupted on April 15, has killed hundreds of people, displaced hundreds of thousands more, and damaged the communication infrastructure in many parts of the country. The fighting is between the army and a paramilitary force that have been ruling the country since a coup in 2021. The conflict was triggered by a plan to launch a new transition with civilian parties, which was rejected by some factions within the military.
The crisis has affected the preparations for Hajj, as many Sudanese who want to perform the pilgrimage have faced difficulties in completing their documents and securing their flights. According to Habib Ali, secretary of the administration of Hajj and Umrah in West Darfur, only 20 out of 560 people from his state have managed to get their documents done, "All Africa" website reported on Monday.
"The crisis we are going through caused communication networks to go out of service. We have been isolated for a whole month and this hindered dozens of people who want to perform Hajj from completing their documents," Ali said on Friday.
The 20 pilgrims have already arrived in Nyala, capital of South Darfur. They will head to Ed Daein, capital of East Darfur, and from there to El Obeid, capital of North Kordofan. After that, they will go to Port Sudan, and then to Saudi Arabia on June 26.
Hajj is obligatory for every adult Muslim who is physically and financially able to perform it at least once in their lifetime. Hajj involves travelling to Mecca and performing various rituals around the Kaaba, the sacred cube-shaped building that was built by Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) and his son Ismail (Ishmael).
Soure: Agencies
