Returnees camped on roadsides in Upper Nile State. | Photo: Sarah Michael.

From escaping the fighting in Khartoum to a sorrowful home return, 22-year-old Rejoice Peter describes the painful death of her mother between Renk and Paloch in Upper Nile State.

The family of six had returned with thousands of South Sudanese through the northeastern border town of Renk after fleeing the vicious fighting in Khartoum.

Her mother, Lucia Fertino Ladu was suffering diabetes and malaria, and most unfortunately, the family was exhausted after the 432 kilometer journey from Khartoum.

According to Rejoice, Mama Lucia was fairly well when they left Renk for Paloch on April 25, 2023. But she developed complications along the way.

“When we left to Renk, she was in  good health we even had breakfast, we had conversation and made some jokes,” she said in an interview with Eye Radio.

“But when we reached the bus stop for Paloch, that’s when she got high fever and she was extremely exhausted. Then we took the bus to Paloch half way she got really sick with too much fever.”

She said the driver took them to the nearest hospital, but there was no doctors present so they drove along until she died just an hour’s drive to Paloch town.

“She gave her life to God and there was nothing we could do about it,” she said.

“The hospital didn’t want to accept it because she didn’t die in their hospital. She died on the way, but after we pleaded and God willing, they accepted they took her body and took her to the mortuary.”

Rejoice said she feels empty after losing her mother who has comforted her when they were caught in the violence in Khartoum.

“When my mother was alive, I had no fear of anything. I felt safe in her presence while fleeing the war in Khartoum despite the difficulties we encountered. I was not scared because of my mother really kept encouraging me to be strong on the way till we reached half of the journey,” she said.

“But the moment she died, I became weak. My mother’s last moments before she died, she had stopped talking, to me it was as if she was surrendering her soul to God.”

Many hospitals in the Sudanese capital had shutdown after fierce fighting, leaving patients with chronic illnesses like diabetes and high blood pressure suffering lack of essential drugs like insulin.