Ashland woman stranded in Sudan with toddler as violence rages
The Boston Globe Ashland woman stranded in Sudan with toddler as violence rages Trillian Clifford, of Ashland, and her young daughter are confined to an apartment amid gunfire. Trillian Clifford, of Ashland, and her daughter, Alma. Family photo
A Massachusetts woman and her toddler remained stranded in an apartment in Sudan, as gunfire echoed through the streets around them and critical supplies — including food and water — dwindled. They are among possibly thousands of US citizens trapped in the country, which has once again been thrust into armed conflict.
Trillian Clifford, of Ashland, and her daughter, Alma, have been hiding for more than a week — staying low and away from windows — in the capital city of Khartoum, where she is a teacher at an international school, according to her family.
Communication from Clifford was intermittent Sunday, as Internet outages were reported across the country and cell service is “only working about 2 percent of the time,” said Rebecca Winter, Clifford’s sister-in-law.
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Winter said calling or texting Clifford has become her “morning coffee routine.” But by Sunday afternoon, around when the sun began to set in Sudan, she said she had not heard from Clifford in hours.
“She said to expect that she may not be able to be in contact today, and that’s new for us,” Winter said in a phone interview. “She also let me know today that food and water is getting more scarce, they’re rationing as much as they can. They don’t know when or if there will be another food drop coming.”
Clifford, who lives in an apartment complex operated by her school and protected by a pair of armed guards, was moved to a lower-level unit Friday after airstrikes pummeled the ground less than a half mile away, according to Winter.
Ten of Clifford’s coworkers live in the complex but visiting another apartment would mean stepping onto outdoor walkways, leaving her and her daughter exposed.
The recent outbreak of violence is one of the first in Sudan’s history to be centered mostly in the capital, according to Zachary Mondesire, assistant professor of international relations at Boston University. Previous clashes, he said, have been largely confined to peripheral and southern regions — far from the Khartoum airport.
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“It seems that there probably weren’t really contingency plans for how to get people out if the airport is completely shut down and out of the control of the national army,” said Mondesire, who flew out of that airport at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
American citizens appear to be stuck with similar access to resources as Sudanese locals — “it’s almost like everybody is on their own,” he said.
US forces evacuated about 70 American embassy personnel in Sudan on Sunday, bringing them to Ethiopia, in response to an order issued by President Biden, according to the Associated Press, but the White House has said it has no plan for a broader evacuation of US citizens trapped in the country. Winter said Clifford has been told “very sternly” by US officials and school administrators to not attempt to flee with any third party.
At least one American has been killed in the conflict, although details have not been released, the State Department told NBC News Friday.
“We need to evacuate not just Trill and her baby, but all of the US citizens who are seeking evacuation right now,” Winter said. “If the US Embassy is saying they’re the ones who need to handle this, then they need to handle it. Sheltering in place is not an option anymore.”
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An estimated 16,000 US citizens are registered with the embassy as being in Sudan, Africa’s third-largest country, but that figure may be inaccurate, as there is no requirement for Americans to notify the embassy if they leave the country, according to the State Department.
Winter said she reached out to the office of Governor Maura Healey and has been in contact with Senator Elizabeth Warren’s office.
Karissa Hand, a spokesperson for the governor, wrote in an e-mail that Healey’s administration is “in touch with our federal partners and working to get in touch with Trillian’s family to offer support.”
In a statement, Warren said her office has reached out to the State Department regarding its plans to assist Americans.
“It’s a heartbreaking situation, and helping them secure safe passage to evacuate is an urgent priority,” Warren said.
On Friday, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said US citizens in Sudan must “make their own arrangements to stay safe in these difficult circumstances.”
“Americans should have no expectation of a US government-coordinated evacuation at this time,” Kirby said. “And we expect that that’s going to remain the case.”
Mondesire said there is a “Hollywood myth” about government capabilities in such situations as Sudan.
”There’s this kind of presumption of the US government, that not only is it this all-powerful entity, but that it intrinsically will be triggered to come in and save its own citizens anywhere in the world,” he said. “I just don’t think this is true.”
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Clifford and her daughter have been without electricity for several days, said Winter, who lives in Acton with her husband, Tim Winter, who is Trillian’s brother, and the Cliffords’ mother.
Winter said Clifford is concerned that she will be unable to provide suitable nutrition for Alma, whom she has begun breastfeeding again. But that means Clifford requires more calories to nurse the toddler, and food is already stretched thin.
“Aside from that, it’s just the monotony of trying to entertain a toddler,” Winter said. “The new apartment isn’t baby-proofed at all. So she feels like she can’t even take a moment to sit down and breathe. She has to be watching Alma all the time.”
At 18 months, Winter said, Alma is too young to understand what is going on outside the apartment door, but has become increasingly cranky over the last few days, picking up on her mother’s anxious energy. Winter said Clifford sent a video of the baby trying to cheer up her mother, bringing a toy to Clifford and saying “happy mommy.”
Gunfire and bombings continued throughout the weekend between the Sudanese army, under General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, despite an agreement Friday for a three-day ceasefire to honor the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr.
The warring factions also had failed to observe two earlier ceasefires since the fighting broke out April 15.
Other nations, including France, Germany, and Italy began evacuations over the weekend, including citizens and foreign nationals, according to Reuters.
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Winter said Clifford has a “go-bag” packed but still no plan for her escape.
“All she can control is that she’s ready to leave whenever someone can get her,” Winter said. “She’s really feeling helpless.”
Source: Boston.com
