- Aug 11, 2023
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Hello folks. Here is a good news article that describes how one man in Sudan helped save dozens of people during a turbulent time in the country. Any Africans here who have heard about the news in Sudan? By the way, the continent of Africa has the most countries inside of it (54 in total), each with diverse geography and ethnic groups, as Sudan divided into Sudan and South Sudan in 2011 (Wiki link). Here is the Guardian Article link: Sudan’s Hotel Rwanda: the man who saved scores of people during Darfur violence
Short summary of the open-access article by The Guardian (<20% in length, for fair usage reasons):
In the article by Zeinab Mohammed Salih, published in The Guardian on April 20, 2024, an extraordinary act of bravery and selflessness was documented. Saad al-Mukhtar, a Sudanese Arab man from the city of Geneina, risked his life last year to smuggle hundreds of Masalit community members, who were being targeted in ethnic violence by Arab militias, across the border into Chad. Mukhtar helped anyone who came to his door seeking safety, regardless of whether he knew them or not. The journey was dangerous as it involved passing through checkpoints manned by Arab militiamen, but Mukhtar managed to send multiple batches of people across the border with the help of his Arab friends. He sheltered and fed these refugees in his home, often for weeks at a time, and even learned to use an AK-47 rifle to protect them.
Geneina, located in the western Darfur region, was the scene of two rounds of mass killings and rape last year as part of a conflict between the Arab paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the regular army. Mukhtar's actions have echoes of Paul Rusesabagina, the hotelier who sheltered refugees during the Rwandan genocide in 1994. Mukhtar's charisma and well-known presence in Geneina were evident during a tour of the city, where he was greeted by tea ladies, shoe sellers, and even RSF fighters. Mukhtar, who grew up in the countryside taking care of camels, was not interested in joining the RSF as a fighter and instead valued his simple and normal life.
Short summary of the open-access article by The Guardian (<20% in length, for fair usage reasons):
In the article by Zeinab Mohammed Salih, published in The Guardian on April 20, 2024, an extraordinary act of bravery and selflessness was documented. Saad al-Mukhtar, a Sudanese Arab man from the city of Geneina, risked his life last year to smuggle hundreds of Masalit community members, who were being targeted in ethnic violence by Arab militias, across the border into Chad. Mukhtar helped anyone who came to his door seeking safety, regardless of whether he knew them or not. The journey was dangerous as it involved passing through checkpoints manned by Arab militiamen, but Mukhtar managed to send multiple batches of people across the border with the help of his Arab friends. He sheltered and fed these refugees in his home, often for weeks at a time, and even learned to use an AK-47 rifle to protect them.
Geneina, located in the western Darfur region, was the scene of two rounds of mass killings and rape last year as part of a conflict between the Arab paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the regular army. Mukhtar's actions have echoes of Paul Rusesabagina, the hotelier who sheltered refugees during the Rwandan genocide in 1994. Mukhtar's charisma and well-known presence in Geneina were evident during a tour of the city, where he was greeted by tea ladies, shoe sellers, and even RSF fighters. Mukhtar, who grew up in the countryside taking care of camels, was not interested in joining the RSF as a fighter and instead valued his simple and normal life.
