Hafsa's story

Dr Marianne Coleman, author of Forced to Flee, has written up this harrowing story of the circumstances that forced Hafsa (not her real name) and her mother and siblings to flee Sudan and make the treacherous journey to seek asylum in the UK.  With Hafsa's permission we are now sharing it with you.

Hafsa’s story

Hafsa, now 18, is the eldest daughter of her family with three younger sisters and a little brother. She was born in a little village near Al Fashir in the Darfur region of Sudan where the family had a small farm, farm producing vegetables and grains, selling any surplus at the local market. They also had a few sheep and goats.

Women and girls in rural Sudan are sheltered and normally do not leave their homes. For example, the women and girls in Hafsa’s family did not even go to the local market which was only 10km away. Hafsa, and her mother before her, had never attended a formal school and the only free education in her village was studying the Quran at the local mosque. There was no hospital in the area, and births were attended by local women.

Hafsa said that when she was growing up in Sudan, she imagined that her life would be simple, staying with her family and helping at home. She could not have imagined that she would leave her country and travel through so many places.

Hafsa’s father came from Chad and the marriage of her parents was an arranged one, a bargain struck between their two grandfathers.  Both were traders travelling between Sudan and Chad selling clothes and food from the farms. When the war in Sudan began to directly affect their area, her father travelled back to Chad and the family never saw him again and they think that he may be dead.  Since he and Hafsa’s mother were married in Sudan, the marriage would not be recognised in Chad, so there was no question of the family going there.

As Hafsa grew older, the lawlessness increased in Darfur and conditions worsened, particularly for women, who were in danger of being raped if they were out by themselves. The Rapid Support Force were fighting to take over Sudan. Their tactics are to target non-Arab Sudanese and they are violent killers, destroying whole villages as they advance. As Hafsa’s family are not ethnically Arab they were in real danger as the RSF approached. They were aware of other small villages and towns where the RSF militia had ridden in and shot indiscriminately, killing people in their houses. They heard of a family whose daughters were raped by soldiers who came in the night and who, as well as raping the girls also broke their legs by stamping on them. They saw videos of people having their farms taken away. They heard of children being killed by fire bombs being thrown at them when they were in a group. The soldiers were killing people including children without any reason. Conditions were generally harsh with severe food shortages and her aunt and her children died of starvation.  Hafsa’s mother became increasingly fearful for her four daughters and for her own life.

Near the start of 2022, in light of the worsening situation, the family made the momentous decision to leave their home. Hafsa was then 14 and her youngest sister only four. They had no adult male with them but they packed some bags and left. Straight away they joined the stream of those seeking safety, initially just walking for about two days. Everyone was trying to leave the country, some to Ethiopia, some to Chad and some to Libya. They made the long journey to Libya walking and getting lifts some of the time. They saw places where whole families were killed and dead people were lying in the streets.

It took them about one month altogether to get into Libya. As a family with young children and no male support, people along their route took pity on them and helped them. However, their lifts were intermittent and they often had to hide, and then evade border controls once they got to the Libyan border. Once there, they were able to make contact with other Sudanese people who were established in Libya and were supportive and it was through these people that Hafsa and her siblings started to learn English. They then improved their English watching lots of videos. They had plenty of time to learn. Hafsa’s mother got work to support them, mainly cleaning in a restaurant and earning money to buy food for the family. While her mother was working, at first Hafsa tried to take her siblings out to play because it was so hot, but they soon found out that they had to hide during the day as children armed with knives and guns attacked them if they saw their darker skins on the street.

They were in Libya for about a year making their way towards the coast getting lifts in trucks and travelling, often by night, on side roads. They were passed along from one smuggler to another through a network of agents.  They were in several towns, Benghazi, Kufra and finally Zawiya which is on the coast. From there they managed to board a small and overcrowded boat to Italy.  They along with some others were let on the boat because they were so vulnerable even though they could not pay. Hafsa said that some of the people on the boat looked as if they were starving. The crossing took four days and was horrific. The boat let in water and they had to continually bail it out. Many people were ill.

The landed in Italy and although they were finger printed there, they received no help or support and were not interviewed. There was no control. They were in Italy for eleven months and lived informally with Sudanese people they had travelled with. They were not in an official setting but were living in houses that had been abandoned. There were men amongst them who were able to work for a little money and brought them food. People told them where to go and what to do. Not just Sudanese people, but also Somalians and others, who were all Arabic speaking. When they left, they walked for about a day and then, following the advice of others, managed to get on a train to France but they had no money to pay. When they were thrown off the train, they simply waited and got on another.  Hafsa thinks they got to Paris, and they were there for five months. Her mother managed to work a bit but not legally. They spent time in two informal camps in the woods near Paris, but had no help from the authorities, just from charities who gave them food.

From what they had been told, the family knew that they wanted to go to England. By this time Hafsa and her siblings knew some English and her mother was aware of the historic ties of Sudan with the UK. No one mentioned that there was a second sea to cross. They got on a train thinking it would take them to England, but they found themselves in Germany. They stayed there for 11 months, but received no official help. Like in Italy they stayed in abandoned houses with others who all supported each other. Hafsa’s mother was able to work a little unofficially and managed to save some money. Hafsa remarked that people gave her the jobs they did not want to do.

It was difficult for them to know where they were and where they might go as they had no phones. They made a decision to go back into France. They just followed people and took their advice. They got on a train into France, first to Lille and then to Dunkirk where they stayed in the Jungle (rough camping in woods) for about four months. They were able to pay about £200 from the money that Fatima had earned in Germany to get them across the Channel. They kept trying to get on a boat and got turned back by the police. Twice they were on the beach and could not get in the boat, the third time they went into the water and the police did not follow them.  The journey across the Channel took six hours, starting at midnight. Again, it was a terrible crossing the boat let in water. Two men argued and started fighting. People were crying.  A young woman died and her body was thrown overboard. They were very cold, particularly Hafsa’s little brother, whose colour changed. When the Border Force came out and met them, they wrapped them in blankets and they felt safe. They arrived in the UK in September 2025.

Since then, they have been in a town in Hertfordshire, where they have managed to settle well. The younger children all got school places after a little wait, but it was more difficult for Hafsa who was then 17. At that age it is difficult to fit into the education system. When the time came for her to enrol at the local College, the course that was appropriate for her was full. Instead, she found an alternative through First Rung College, where she has been able to continue her education studying for a level 1 qualification in Business, and improving her English which is already very good.

Hafsa’s ambitions are to succeed in her education, improve her English and work towards a career where she can help others, such as becoming a nurse, or a teacher or a support worker because she enjoys helping others and making a positive difference in people’s lives.

Although they are hoping to receive their Leave to Remain very soon, Hafsa and her family will be moving on shortly, under the direction of the Home Office to a different town. Once settled Hafsa hopes to study Health and Social Care at a new College.

Finally, Hafsa says of HWR that we have: ‘played an important role in my life since I arrived. It has supported me, made me feel welcome and helped me find direction and hope for my future.’
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We so admire the strength Hafsa and her mother and siblings have shown, and wish them all the best for the future.