Basheer, The Return

In this photo book, Salih Basheer documents the devastation of the war in Sudan, focusing on the humanitarian impact and experiences of loss and displacement. Born in Sudan, Salih is intimately connected to this story, and through it, he presents the challenges his people are facing — both inside Sudan and in neighboring countries where many have sought refuge. I find myself holding back from reaching out to my family. They are still in Khartoum since the conflict started. I think I'm trying to avoid hearing bad news. They're surviving and have adapted to the new reality, sadly. Three days ago, I had a nightmare for the first time in a long while. I think it was triggered by hearing the stories of Sudanese I met recently who escaped the war almost a year ago, just like me. Hearing their stories of how they got out of Sudan dragged me back to my memories. In the dream, I was walking down a street in Khartoum with my brother. An army car passed by, and they offered us a ride to our destination. When we arrived, they told us, “If we hear gunfire, we'll come back for you, but you must stay quiet.” As we turned the corner into the neighbourhood, we encountered a group of Rapid Support Force (RSF) soldiers. They asked us to lie down. My brother had sunglasses, which he handed to one of the soldiers as a gift. I had nothing to offer. It seemed the soldier didn't like me. He loaded his weapon and aimed it at my eye. I started reciting the Shahada. - From the preface by Salih Basheer