I bid farewell to my papers and books, it was my last glance
Dr. Osama Al-Noor.
When I decided to leave my house in Khartoum Bahri, I found only a recorded mobile number from a friends page that I had saved in my notebook. Shortly before that, I heard explosions and gunshots on the street, about a hundred meters away from my favorite spot in the salon.
I went out to the street and found it deserted, with sounds of various weapons like Dushka, RPGs, and Kalashnikovs not far away. I spoke with our neighbor and my companion, Ahmed, who was fetching water when the gunshots ceased.
Whats going on, Ahmed?
Brother, the fighting was just near the house, close to the front gate, the streetlight, the grocery store, and behind the house. They have now fled, but whats strange is that they were shooting at whom? No one seems to be injured, except for the sound of bullets whizzing by on the road.
May God protect the people.
At that moment, I made the decision without hesitation and called the unknown number of the car owner, not knowing whether the phone would ring or be answered. After a while, someone answered, and we agreed upon recording the address. He said he wasnt far away, about twenty or thirty minutes, depending on the intensity of the clashes.
I informed those with me, as if they were prepared and ready for the decision.
The first thing I cared about were the identification papers, passports, and national ID, as well as my wifes. I gathered very few clothes and her certificates. I went to the salon and found my resume and two notebooks. On another table, there was a booklet of the Aman Party and a Quran, along with the books I used to read. Next to them, there were six pens, an ink pen, and a package of Cuban cigars, which was a gift. There was also a nail clipper, a prayer bead, a keychain, and some small iron trinkets, two one-pound coins that I kept as souvenirs, which I placed in the container, and a tin of cigarettes that I threw nearby, perhaps out of tension, close to the chair. On the other side, there was a box of old exam papers for mathematics and work sheets belonging to Sarah, as well as math and science textbooks. I said to myself, May God protect us.
As I walked out of the salon, answering the drivers phone call, I looked at all these things and said, I entrust my affairs to God. Indeed, God sees His servants. I gave a sad farewell to my papers and books, it was my last glance, and after that, I found solace in the booklet The Secret of Secrets by Sheikh Al-Tayyib Wad Al-Bashir, which contained a text from the Aman Party. I said, Praise be to God.
I left the salon with indescribable sadness, but my trust in God and His divine decree had no bounds. I went to Sarah and the rest, and found them prepared, including the small van that would transport us to another safe place in Al-Mamura. The beginning of the journey was marked by military checkpoints before the main street, only ten meters apart. After that, we didnt encounter any military checkpoints until we reached Al-Mamura and left it until the exit of the Halayeb Bridge, towards Omdurman.
