11 Ning Guo

Narrative Summary

The Long Hard Road Out of Darfur: Interview with Salahaldin Adam

Bitter Memories of War

Salahaldin Yahia Adam, originally from Darfur, a region in western Sudan, left his home and country due to the war in 2003. To help me understand his background and story, Salahaldin shared some history and information at the beginning of the interview. The war in Darfur, also nicknamed the Land Cruiser War, is a major armed conflict in the Darfur region of Sudan that began in February 2003 when the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) rebel groups began fighting the government of Sudan. This conflict stems from a religious war between southern Sudan and northern Sudan, which began in 1956, according to Salahaldin. People in southern Sudan are Christian, while people in the north are mostly Islamic. However, the war in Darfur was separate from the war between northern and southern Sudan. There were many problems in Darfur itself. There were no roads, no electricity, and people can’t even have clean water. Moreover, discrimination is very serious there as well. Salahaldin stated that if you are from Darfur, you cannot find a job. Therefore, the people of Darfur fought for their rights in a spirit of unity.

After the rebellion in Darfur began, Salahaldin made a very difficult decision. To escape the war, he was separated from his family and forced to flee his country alone to the border of Darfur, the Central African Republic. Immediately after his arrival, he sought help and asylum with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). After a series of interviews about his situation, UNHCR helped him settle in a camp in the Central African Republic. It was 2003, and Salahaldin had been in the camp for seven years.

Human Rights Advocate in the Camp

Although Salahaldin was away from his family, he was not alone in the camp. According to him, about 35,000 refugees are being temporarily settled in camps in the Central African Republic. Many of them are Sudanese refugees, some from the war in southern Sudan, some from the war in Darfur which located in northern Sudan. In the camp, Salahaldin became a secondary for an organized Sudanese refugee community that was organized around refugees from different regions to help them socialize and help each other solve problems. UNHCR encourages refugees to work in the camp. Salahaldin took the opportunity to support himself by working for the company that supplies coffee to the camps. Meanwhile, he had volunteered with the Red Cross Society of the Central African Republic, contributing to human rights work in his spare time.

The resettlement process is long and complex. UNHCR first interviewed Salahaldin for details of his situation and problems, as well as his preference for resettlement country. They then helped him fill out the application form and sent it to the country of his choice. Different countries have different requirements for refugees, based on their country of origin and the total number of refugees received by the resettlement country each year. Furthermore, different countries choose the most eligible refugees according to their different situations. Each refugee can only apply for one country at a time, and if his application is rejected, he can apply for another country. When asked about what to do with identity documents lost, he claimed that while crossing Sudan’s borders, the officers would report each refugee’s status to UNHCR, and they would study your case and discuss your situation, if needed, UNHCR would create a new file based on what you have in order to help you with subsequent resettlement process.

A New Life in the Land of Liberty

After Salahaldin’s application was approved from the United States, the International Organization for Migration (IMO) provided him with a one-way flight ticket to JFK airport from the Central African Republic, Salahaldin came alone with both excitement and overwhelm. After landed in New York, he was picked up from the airport to his hotel. When asked about how he felt, he smiled and said that America was just like in the Hollywood movies. The next day, he set off for South Dakota, the city he had resettled in. Before he arrived, the Lutheran Social Service (LSS) had not only prepared everything for his new home, including bed, cloth, and food but also taught him how to take the bus as well as shopping during the first week after his arrival. Besides, within a month to eight months of Salahaldin’s arrival, the organization will help him pay his rent and medicate until he found a job and got his first paycheck to support himself. The difference from a loan is that the U.S. government provides money to organizations to help resettle refugees and does not require refugees to repay living expenses during the period. “It’s a very, very, very kind thing to help refugees,” Salahaldin says.

The first job Salahaldin applied for was at a meat factory, he also volunteered for the Red Cross of South Dakota for a while. He said he learned from the camp about how to respect people and how to respect the law, that’s why he wants to continue working for NGOs to help those in need. In 2014, Salahaldin came to Iowa for education because he didn’t get the chance to go to college back in Sudan, and he wanted to cherish the opportunity to learn. He learned English from zero and also learned how to use a computer. Salahaldin met many friends from all over the world through LSS and finally, he found where he truly belongs in Iowa. Salahaldin said he has been alone since he left Sudan, but he has his own family now, happily married and has a four-year-old daughter and a three-year-old son. He is no longer alone. Even with his new family here, Salahaldin still misses his family in Sudan. He says he still uses a large plate brought in from Sudan to hold food for the holidays. What the plate means to him is longing for home. Five years from land to the U.S. he became a citizen here. He thought it was time to visit his long-missed family in Sudan and did so last October. After 16 years of separation, the feeling of missing is far beyond our imagination.

After surviving from the war in Darfur, seeing friends die from the disease in the camp, and experiencing endless loneliness, he had changed a lot and had grown a lot. Even after coming to the United States, many things in his life were still challenging for him. But now that he has a career that he likes, a degree that he’s proud of, and a family that he loves, he is truly settled in here. Salahaldin was not defeated by difficulties, he always has hope, and loves the world with a kind heart.