Sudan Darfur War: Pregnant Woman Fleeing Clashes Gives Birth Alone, Continues Walking

• While running away from the Sudan Darfur war, Arafa Adoum found herself going into labor at a location devoid of any facilities or support
• With everyone around focused on seeking safety, she had no choice but to deliver the baby by herself, hastily wrap the newborn, and continue her journey on foot
• As she fled for her own safety, the heart-wrenching reality weighed heavily upon her - her three sons had tragically lost their lives
• Unable to provide them with a proper burial due to the urgency of the situation, she had to leave their unburied bodies behind, adding to the immense sorrow she was already enduring

Arafa Adoum has seen the worst of the ongoing Sudan Darfur War, but she still manages to keep her head held up high.

To begin with, the radio presenter lost her three sons when El Geneina's university where they were taking refuge was set ablaze.

As if that was not grief enough, she went into labour and gave birth, alone, to a baby boy at the border crossing with Chad while fleeing from the war-torn region.

No midwives, no support

In an interview with BBC News Africa, the radio presenter disclosed that she was forced to deliver on the road because there was no medical facility nearby.

"There were no midwives and no-one to support me. Everyone was thinking of themselves. Everyone was running to save their lives," she said.

Adoum, who was fleeing on foot, added that once the baby got out, she wrapped him up and continued walking to her intended destination in Adré.

According to the 38-year-old, the escape meant walking in the blistering sun for 25km with her four daughters.

Her husband was forced to take a longer route for his own safety in order to make it to the refugee camp.

Left son's unburied corpses behind

One of the saddest parts of her story is that she was forced to leave behind the unburied corpses of her sons, aged three, seven and nine years.

The three were brutally killed by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and allied Arab militiamen.

Apart from the sons, Adoum also lost several members of her extended family, among them her father-in-law, whom she said had both his legs "smashed" and one of his ears cut.

The grieving mother and her baby, whom she named Mohamed, are currently at the camp where tens of thousands of people have sought refuge.

At least 3,000 dead

Darfur is under siege due to the fact that the RSF and the militias are believed to be fighting to establish Arab supremacy by getting rid of black Africans.

So far, thousands of people have continued to flee from the West Darfur region, hoping to make it across the border into neighbouring Chad for safety, Al Jazeera reports.

It is estimated that the war, which broke out in the capital Khartoum on April 15 and spread to Darfur, has claimed the lives of at least 3,000 people.