Despite raging conflict, some Pakistanis chose to stay in Sudan

 

Deadly clashes between two rival parties in Sudan have entered the third week. More than 500 people have been killed in the conflict so far, while tens of thousands of survivors have moved to safer parts of the country or even crossed the border to avoid the violence.

As of Sunday, more than 350 Pakistanis had left Sudan, according to the South Asian country's foreign ministry, while some 500 were waiting to get back home. But despite the tense situation, some Pakistanis like Irfan Khan say they will stay.

The violent conflict erupted in Sudan on April 15. On April 21, Pakistanis in the country got a message from their embassy in Khartoum, the capital: "Come to the embassy compound if you want to be taken back to Pakistan."

Braving rockets and deadly streetfights, Khan volunteered to drive some other fellow Pakistanis to the embassy. On a call with Al Jazeera, he described the hour-long drive as a very tense one, adding they were stopped more than six times for identification checking purposes.

Khan finally managed to safely drop off the people at the embassy. He moved to Sudan 14 years ago following his older brother and now runs an optics shop in Khartoum. He believes although things are bad at the moment, they will get better in the coming days.

His parents, wife and son in Karachi, the largest city in Pakistan, have urged Khan to return, but he insists on staying back, saying he feels more at home in Khartoum. Although things are not all smooth now in Sudan, his assessment is that things will get better, he said.

Apart from Khan, 40-year-old Jamil Hussain, who runs a garment shop, is also staying in Sudan as he couldn't get his family out of harm's way. His embassy only allowed him to go back, and not his wife or their four children as they were Sudanese nationals, he said.