Widowed, Mother of 7
I was walking with my husband in the market very early in the morning.
First came the airplanes that dropped bombs. Then Arab tribesmen, riding horses and in the backs of pick-up trucks, rode into town shooting.
They killed my husband in front me.
Gunfire was coming from planes in the sky, and the Janjaweed chased my through the burning homes.
There was not time to bury my husband. There were 60 others killed. No time to bury anyone.
I walked 20 days with my seven children with no food, no water, nothing. We walked at night, stopping only to make a small fire to warm up from the harsh chill.
We hid from the militia during the day. Attacks from above and bullets from the surrounding area chased us across the border this camp, in Chad.
I am suffering. I am suffering here in this camp.
We only have one tent for us to share with two small beds. When it rains, the water comes in. When it is windy, no one can sleep. I had to cut part of the tent off to use for a blanket.
Without peace, I will not return to Darfur. I want to, desperately.
My children are my only hope. With education, they can return to Darfur and make a difference. We wait for peace so we can all go back.
Fatna’s story is part of One Voice: Testimonies of Darfurian Mothers.
One reply on “One Voice: Fatna’s Story”
Katie-Jay,
The high school students at my church will be writing letters to Michelle Obama tomorrow during Sunday School. I thought I would ask them to write their letters on the back of the testimonies so that Mrs. Obama hears both from the mothers of Darfur and American students who care about these mothers.
Thanks for putting this opportunity together and for working so hard to support the people of Darfur.
Esther