The Ordeal of Checkpoints
By Abdulrahman Abdel Sayed
On the second day of the 72-hour ceasefire (June 18-20, 2023), my small family and I set off from Klakla (Lefa Market) towards the popular market in Omdurman. We thought it would be a simple journey, especially with the ceasefire in place. I believed the trip would take no more than an hour and a half, at most, assuming the carriage would swiftly transport us. I was mistaken in my assumption.
The bus started moving around 8 am, and upon reaching the Dubasien Bridge, it halted for the first inspection by the armed forces. The process was relatively quick, focusing primarily on identity cards.
The carriage proceeded through winding and unpaved roads unsuitable for public transportation. We traversed the streets of Al-Azouzab, then Yathrib, and Jabra, passing through alleys with several damaged buildings. After approximately an hour, the carriage returned to the main road.
We arrived at the heart of the central market tray, bustling with outgoing traffic from Khartoum towards the states of Al-Jazirah and Al-Qadarif. Amidst the congestion, we encountered militia soldiers who surrounded the carriages, peering at the passengers and randomly asking questions like Where are you going? and Show your IDs. Often, they targeted young individuals with their inquiries.
We crossed the Sports City, Africa University, and as we reached the beginning of Sixty Street, multiple checkpoints appeared. Some checkpoints merely glanced inside the carriage before allowing it to pass.
The situation remained the same until we reached the Shambat Bridge via Sixty Street. The inspection took longer here, as a person was detained on the grounds of being a military officer. They subjected him to intense questioning for over half an hour, attempting to extract a false confession of being an officer. Another individual, who lacked identification, insisted that as long as he had no ID, he was a coz (a term used to describe Islamist).
We crossed the bridge with the intervention of passengers and bus conductors. We passed through East Nile, then Dar Al-Salam, Al-Haj Youssef, Al-Samarab, and Al-Halfaya. All these areas had checkpoints, although not as numerous as the ones on the bridge.
The second halt occurred at the entrance of Shambat Bridge from Bahris side, resembling the previous one at Manshia Bridge (a mix of stubbornness and absurdity).
We crossed Shambat Bridge, and at that moment, the conductor warned us to hide our mobile phones and any cash as the upcoming checkpoint would be worse. Indeed, at the Martyrs neighborhood checkpoint, a Rapid Support Forces soldier insisted that men should disembark for inspection. Being closest to the door, I was the first to step out. Fortunately, the soldier didnt complete his inspection because, at that very moment, a military transport vehicle loaded with supplies and ammunition arrived. The bus driver quickly requested us to clear the way.
Afterward, we finally reached the popular market at around 1 pm. What caught my attention was the heavy presence of militia soldiers inside and around the market.
