‘Human tragedy’ as Sudan Umrah pilgrims stuck in Saudi port

Sudanese nationals who participated in the Umrah pilgrimage during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, that ended with Eid El Fitr on April 21, are stranded in the Saudi Arabian port of Jeddah, adjacent to the holy city of Mecca, after all air traffic to Sudan from Jeddah was suspended, and the fares for berths on ships across the Red Sea have increased exponentially.

Radio Dabanga special correspondents report from Jeddah that the Sudanese Umrah pilgrims, some stranded in the Red Sea port for more than a week, are subject to abysmal conditions, and are living in the open without shelter. Pilgrims told Radio Dabanga that some agencies did not fulfil their duties towards the pilgrims. Their stays at hotels were initially extended, however they were expelled after a few days.

The stranded pilgrims include a large number of elderly men and women, our correspondents on the ground in Jeddah report. They say that most of the people want to return to Sudan, in spite of the hostilities, as they are concerned for their families.

One of the stranded women told a Radio Dabanga reporter that they had to sleep outside El Mina Mosque for a week, and sometimes they were expelled from it.

One ship reportedly sailed from Jeddah bound for Port Sudan in morning, however many Sudanese simply do not have the money to buy a ticket, as prices on the parallel market have soared to 1.200 Saudi Riyals ($320) for the 300 kilometre Red Sea passage.

Since the outbreak of the SAF-RSF clashes in Sudan last month, Saudi and Kuwaiti nationals as well as citizens of other countries have been evacuated to Jeddah, however traffic back to Sudan has become more complicated as the Sudanese pilgrims have been caught by surprise as they did not budget for such a long stay and have simply run out of money.