STORY: Clashes deprive Sudanese of street Iftar during Ramadan
SHOOTING TIME: April 1, 2024
DATELINE: April 2, 2024
LENGTH: 00:02:10
LOCATION: Khartoum
CATEGORY: POLITICS/SOCIETY

SHOTLIST:
1. various of people having a Ramadan Iftar
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (Arabic): SAIF-EDDIN AL-SANUSSI, Citizen of the Al-Ingaz neighborhood
3. various of people having a Ramadan Iftar
4. SOUNDBITE 2 (Arabic): KHALIL BUSHARA, Citizen of the Al-Zhari neighborhood
5. various of a Ramadan Iftar

STORYLINE:

Many residents of neighborhoods in south of the Sudanese capital Khartoum, are forced to have Iftar dinners in rooms during Ramadan due to the nearly year-long clashes between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

It's a deeply-rooted Sudanese tradition to hold street Iftar during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

SOUNDBITE 1 (Arabic): SAIF-EDDIN AL-SANUSSI, Citizen of the Al-Ingaz neighborhood
"Previously we used to have Ramadan Iftar in the street, but this year it has become difficult to do that because of the conflict. This is mainly because of the absence of most of the residents and the lack of security, where a person can be hit by a random gunshot or a bomb."

SOUNDBITE 2 (Arabic): KHALIL BUSHARA, Citizen of the Al-Zhari neighborhood
"In the past we used to rush out longing for the street Iftar, where we used to invite all the passersby to share the Iftar with us. This was an inherited tradition. However, this tradition has disappeared this year due to the war."

The idea of street Iftars is based on sharing the Ramadan table with the neighbors of the same neighborhood and their potential guests, and passersby, mainly with the aim to achieve the values of solidarity and equality among people.

Sudan has been witnessing deadly clashes between the SAF and the RSF since April 15, 2023.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Khartoum.
(XHTV)