29 April 2023 , 20:41
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A British teaching assistant is heartbroken over the death of her father in the chaos in Sudan.
Tagwa Taha, a teaching assistant in London, found out her father Nadir Taha had died in Sudan’s capital Khartoum on Thursday morning.
She said her diabetic dad, who was in his late 60s, had not eaten for days after armed rebels raided the family’s home.
Mum-of-three Mrs Taha, 39, said: “He couldn’t get out because the house was surrounded by people with guns. The RSF (Rapid Support Forces) raided my dad’s home and stole all their food.
“I think he died because he’s diabetic and he’d had no food. He was in his home with relatives when he collapsed. They tried to call the doctors in the area but no-one could help.”
Teaching assistant Tagwa TahaShe added that her family did not even have any water to carry out the Islamic ritual of washing her father’s body before his burial.
She has since lost contact with her relatives in the capital and is not sure whether her dad, a former Major in the Sudanese Army, has been buried.
Mrs Taha said the RSF rebels are causing chaos in the Sudanese capital.
She said: “They break into people’s homes and steal their money, belongings and food.
“They don’t care about anyone. One of my cousins is expecting and was hiding with her two children in a room. The rebels came in and shot the pillows and blankets to terrify them.”
Calling for peace in her country, Mrs Taha, who moved to the UK in 2003, said: “I’m crying all the time. I need this to stop, I need my country to go back to normal life.
“It’s really hard being here and not being able to see my family. I feel like I can’t do anything to support them.”
Mrs Taha is now desperate to get the rest of her family - who have had no food, water or electricity for days - out of the wartorn capital.
Her family has set up a fundraiser ( https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-my-family-get-out-of-sudan-safely ) to pay for a coach to get their trapped relatives to the Egyptian border.
Mrs Taha's trapped relatives also desperately need money to buy necessities such as water, which now costs around £100 a gallon in the city.