Twice displaced: Malaz’s journey of survival amid Sudan’s conflict, KSRelief, UNHCR step up aid

The war in Sudan has now forced over 12 million people to flee their homes, creating one of the world’s largest displacement crises. Among them is 23-year-old Malaz Nasr Aldeen Alzain, whose life has been turned around by the violence not once but twice.

At just 22, Malaz’s life took a dramatic shift when conflict erupted in Sudan in April 2023. A second-semester Medical Laboratory and Science student at ‎Al Madain College for Medical Sciences and Technology in Khartoum, the country’s capital, she was forced to flee with her family to Al Jazirah State, just over 100 kilometers away.

"My studies are now online, but it’s very difficult. I need internet and tools to continue," Malaz shared, reflecting on the challenges of pursuing her education while displaced.

Her family of eight was just starting to adjust to life in Abu Galfa village, Sharg Al Jazirah locality of Al Jazirah State when renewed violence in October 2024 forced them to flee once again, this time to Madinat Al Gedaref locality in Gedaref State, nearly 300 kilometres away.

The journey to Gedaref State was exhausting. With no transport available, Malaz and her family walked for seven days, through several villages. "It was very difficult. There was no food for us to eat, but managed and are grateful to have reached Gedaref safely," she says.

The local community welcomed them with generosity, providing food, water and basic medicine through a mobile clinic. “They did everything they could to help us and make us feel welcome,” Malaz recalled.

Unable to afford the high rent in Gedaref town, Malaz and her family were forced to settle in the Al Rabwa displacement site, home to hundreds other families. But life in displacement was completely different from her days in Khartoum, as they had no means to support themselves and therefore had to rely on humanitarian assistance to survive.

Thankfully and with support from the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSRelief), Malaz’s family was among the 250 displaced families in the site to receive essential relief items provided by UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency. These kits, which contain plastic tarpaulins, blankets, kitchen sets, mosquito nets, solar lamps, jerry cans, and sleeping mats, offer Malaz, her family and the many other displaced much-needed items to settle down despite the difficult circumstances they are in.

“I appreciate the assistance and thank KSRelief and UNHCR for supporting us during this challenging time”, she said. “The mosquito net protects us from insects, and the other items have also been very helpful,” adding that the water provided by other humanitarian partners has been a vital lifeline for her family and others in the site.

Despite the hardships, Malaz is determined to continue her studies. With the right support, she dreams of completing her education and contributing to Sudan’s health care system.

For now, she finds strength in her family and the assistance they receive from KSRelief, that helps them survive.