The citizens of Zalingei, the capital of Sudan’s Central Darfur State, on Wednesday, welcomed Eid al-Fitr amidst a cautious atmosphere devoid of festive or crowd-filled scenes.
Prayers were held in neighborhood mosques where imams and preachers delivered sermons and admonitions promoting reconciliation and love. They appealed to the warring parties to resort to dialogue, halt violence, renounce war, and embrace peace.
The Eid sermons emphasized the importance of opposing hate speech and standing against anyone seeking to divide Sudan or tear apart its social fabric.
Mustafa Ahmed, a resident of Zalingei, said the ongoing war should serve as an opportunity for solidarity and compassion among the townsfolk.
“This Eid comes at a time of difficult security and humanitarian conditions, where the gap in citizens’ daily needs for food, medicine, and other essentials widens,” he stated.
Ahmed pointed out that the spread and expansion of sheltering houses and the deterioration of humanitarian conditions have helped mitigate unprecedented humanitarian disasters, necessitating greater efforts from the region’s residents to address the situation.
Another resident who only identified himself as Abdulrahman, expressed his wishes for Eid to be an occasion during which Sudan enjoys security, stability, and prosperity, and when the nation’s wounds are healed. He lamented the war and its aftermath, mourning the souls of the martyrs.
“I hope that the current war becomes an opportunity to learn lessons for the future, shaping us into better individuals than we are now,” he said.
On his part, Marwan Ali expressed hope that the Islamic nation, and specifically the Sudanese people and the people of Darfur, would experience goodness and security, transcending the bitterness and suffering of war, leaving behind only stories to be recounted for future generations to reflect upon.