Interview with Faisal

Faisal is a refugee from Darfur, a region in South Sudan. The war and ethnic genocide broke out in 2003, so Faisal and his family were forced to run. He made it to the border between Sudan and Chad, where he reunited with his sister and lived in a refugee camp on the border for a year and two months. In 2005, Faisal was relocated to another refugee camp and returned to the rest of his family. He attended high school and worked as a water seller to provide for his family in the refugee camp. In 2013, a policeman refused to pay for the water, and they got into a fight. Faisal was overly punished and detained for two months. Upon his release, he discovered that the militia killed his friends, so his family decided it was time for Faisal to leave for his safety. Now, Faisal is living in Jordan, where he is a teacher and a social worker. He describes his days as repetitive and boring but enjoys playing soccer and volleyball with his friends. Faisal was approved for relocation to America, but the travel ban during the Trump presidency prevented him from coming to the US. Still, he is hopeful that he will again be resettled soon, but he’s enjoying teaching in Jordan right now. It’s a tough time for Faisal because his wife was relocated to Canada this month, so now he’s living in Jordan without her. He is optimistic over his future and plans on reuniting with her in Canada or America when he gets resettled.

Listen to his story, below:

I was born and raised in a very beautiful and small village they call Jurbata in the Western Darfur. Life before camp like it was really good. Life was simple. people were depending on their animals and farms, life was really beautiful. At night, the sky is very clear, so you could see like the stars. You can count like the stars, you can see everything in the sky. I love to lay and just look. it’s really beautiful.

We have, like one of the main dishes in Darfur is Aseeda. My mom would stay home and prepare breakfast, we sit all together, and and have our breakfast together. Wow, that’s so beautiful! Oh my God. This takes me back to those old days. When I remember those days, I just smile. Those days were the best in my life cause I never enjoyed the the rest of the years in my life.

The war and the genocide started in 2003. I was young at the time. On that day, I lost two of my cousins, and also I lost my, my uncle. We ran separately. I reached a place called Ambitia, where I met my sister again, so we lived on the border between Sudan and Chad for a year and two months. And then the UN came and they said okay, now, we need to take you to the refugee camp in Chad. There were children who were separated from their families. They were crying and said no, we need to go back. Maybe we’ll be able to find those children’s parents. Then the UN said we will, we will take you back.

That was in 2005. I met my family again. I never, I never expected that I would find them again. Since 2005 till 2014, I was living in a refugee camps. I was working as a water seller. I had a donkey. I used to bring water to the people in the market. But yeah, I was happy because I was doing something good, I was helping my family and I was paying for, you know, my school.

My high school was in the refugee camps. You will hear that the militia came and they burned a village of people. Many times they also attacked the schools where so many kids were killed. When you wake up in the morning and you’re going to school, you’re afraid maybe something will happen to you.

In 2013, I had a big fight with a policeman. Then the police, they beat me and took me in their cars. I was detained for, for two months. When I was released, two of my friends were, were killed, and also my donkey was killed. So my family and my friends they said, okay, you should, you should leave. You should move from here. Next time is going to be you. And yes, I moved to Khartoum in 2014.

Now, I’m in Jordan, I’m teaching by the way. Going to work, come back, sometimes I just go and chill out with friends. Every Friday, we go and play football. It’s like the same routine. There’s no change, and yeah, we feel bored, but yes, no options, so. No more choice.

You know it’s not good to be a refugee. I mean a refugee is a person who leave his country, like by force, like he’s not supposed to do that, but yeah, he’s forced to do that. And, of course, no one wants to be called as a refugee. You will not feel really good when you hear this words.

In the US, they don’t have any any clue about refugees, so I’m always sharing my stories. And also they ask me the same questions you’re asking me now. But but the majority are interested in to to hear more about like, the refugees journey. The good memories that I had was like my animals, and after that my life was really miserable, full of challenges and war and killing and fighting and till now I’m still struggling.