The doctor Kamal Elgameil was born in Sudan but has lived in Lund since 1991. Two days before the bloody fighting between the regular army and the paramilitary group RSF broke out, he travelled to his homeland to visit loved ones.
The sudden conflict came as a shock to Kamal and those around him.
"We didn't think they would fight each other because they've been cooperating with each other for 20 years," he says.
Helping sufferers
Now he is stuck in the city of Madani, located 200 kilometers south of the capital Khartum. The fighting hasn't made it to Madani yet – but the effects are palpable.
"There is a shortage of water, there is a shortage of electricity, there is a shortage of medicine. People from the capital have moved south and it has become expensive with everything. Yesterday, for example, I needed petrol, it cost SEK 100 for a litre. From five to 100 kronor in just three or four days," he says.
He planned to fly home from Khartoum on Sunday, but that will not be the case. Instead, he devotes himself to assisting in health care.
"The only joy I get is when I sit and work and help people. I can help people who are affected through my job, he says and continues:
"Sometimes I go to the health centre, which is close by here because there is a shortage of doctors. Sometimes people come to my house and knock on the door, because they can't afford to go to the hospital. So I work as a general practitioner.
Contact with the Ministry for Foreign Affairs
At the same time, his wife, daughter and son are in Sweden following the development.
"They are very worried. They call every day, several times. I understand them," Kamal said.
And at the moment, it is unclear how he will get home. The roads are not safe enough for him to transport himself to the airport north of Khartoum, where the evacuation planes depart. However, he is in ongoing contact with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs about the situation.
"They do what they can. It's a really difficult situation for them too," he says.