by Paddy Walsh

OVER 3,800 miles away from a country that is facing “one of the world’s most devastating humanitarian crises”, with thousands of lives lost and millions of its population displaced, a group gathered in Letterkenny on Saturday afternoon in support of Sudan – the nation forgotten and ignored by the international community and media.

Torn apart by war, famine and disease during a conflict that has raged for the past two and a half years, the North African country is verging on outright collapse.

The local Sudanese community and branch of Amnesty International came together to call for urgent action in a special vigil staged at the Market Square.

“Let Donegal be a place where compassion leads. Let Ireland be the country that stands for fairness and let our voices echo in the halls of power,” the chairperson of the Sudanese Community in Donegal, Thoiba Ahmed, urged.

Her call was echoed by the chairperson of the local Amnesty group, Mary Ryan, who encouraged everyone to contact their T.D.’s and local representatives to let them know of their concerns over a ravaging conflict that had received, she said, “very little international attention.”

On a sunny Saturday, the clouds of war and the strife in Sudan were uppermost in the minds of those who had gathered in solidarity.

“We have come together to honour the people of Sudan whose suffering has too often been overlooked, their resilience too rarely acknowledged.

“Today we chose to hear them, chose to see them, and chose to stand with them,” the SUDOOCO chairperson declared.

“Sudan is facing one of the world’s most devastating humanitarian crises at this time.”

Millions had been displaced and families torn apart with communities “shattered by violence and instability.

“Behind every statistic is a human story, mothers searching for safety, children longing for peace and a generation struggling to survive.”

The vigil, she insisted, was not just a moment of silence but a call for action. “It’s a reminder that we cannot afford to look away, even here in Donegal. Our voices can echo across borders.”

They gathered not only to mourn those lives that were lost but to ignite hope.

“We demand change. The world is silent and that is not acceptable. The world is overlooking Sudan and that is heartbreaking.

“It is the same suffering, the same human lives, the same values. It is supposed to be equal. We seek to ensure that Sudan is not forgotten, that your presence matters, your awareness matters, your compassion matters.”

By speaking out and standing together even the darkest nights could be eliminated, she added.

“We call on the Irish Government that we deserve to be seen, to have equal treatment

“This is a crisis, it’s war, the same thing that is happening to other communities and nationalities. We want equality.

“But it’s not just a matter of equality, it’s a matter of humanity.”

Calling for international pressure to be applied, Amnesty chairperson, Mary Ryan said it was important that they talked about Sudan. “We need to stand in solidarity and make sure that our Government does not forget them.

“I would encourage everyone to contact their T.D.s and local representatives and let them know that we are concerned. We want our Government to push for action in relation to an arms embargo on the warring factions and for humanitarian relief to get in to the people of Sudan.

“Behind every figure are thousands of people who had to leave their homes, millions of people who are in other countries. People like you and me who were in their jobs and settled up to 2023 and would love to be able to be back in their homes.”

Following the vigil, Ms Ahmed, who was accompanied by her two sons and has been resident in Letterkenny for the past eleven years, spoke of her own family’s experiences in Sudan.

Her mother and siblings had been displaced from Khartoum to Cairo in Egypt. “They made that journey over four days and my mum was sick.”

And between the illness and the stress of leaving her home, Thoiba’s mother passed away less than a year after the journey.

A story repeated for huge numbers of families forced to leave their homes from a country teetering on the very brink.