As a Darfuri woman, immigrant and refugee, I know what it means to be displaced. I know the pain of losing your home, your safety, and the life you worked so hard to build. But I also know that what is so often said about refugees is untrue, and the urgency of transforming refugee narratives.

I was born in Darfur, in western Sudan, where I grew up in a patriarchal society that often overlooked the role and value of women. I experienced the challenges of underage arranged marriage, polygamy, and limited access to education. But even as a young girl, I knew that education would be my path to freedom.

In 1996, I survived the genocide in Darfur and spent a year displaced. That time left lasting scars, but it also shaped my life’s purpose and deepened my commitment to education, women’s empowerment, and social justice.

Displaced and Restricted by Sudan’s Conflict

The vast majority of Darfuri refugees across the world were once farmers—self-reliant, hardworking, and central to Sudan’s economy, providing the basis of how to transform refugee narratives. We owned land and livestock. We cultivated millet, groundnuts and more. These crops not only fed our families and neighbours but were purchased by merchants from the capital and exported abroad for hard currency. We paid taxes, shared harvests, and contributed to our communities, receiving little to no government support.

But everything changed in 2003 when the Janjaweed militias, backed by the Sudanese government, launched a genocide in Darfur, destroying villages and displacing millions. On 15 April 2023, the same militia, renamed the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), turned against the Sudanese government. With even greater violence and impunity, they devastated the country and seized control of four out of five Darfur states. Armed with heavy weapons and emboldened by years of violence, they have burned entire villages to the ground, slaughtered civilians and left survivors with no choice but to flee. In the process, families lost everything—homes, livestock, documents, and their sense of security. Many fled on foot with nothing but their children and the clothes on their backs.

Read the full article about transforming refugee narratives by Mastora Bakhiet at Alliance Magazine.