The Picture: Resilience Amid Ruins – Al Fasher’s Al Saudi Hospital During War

In the face of the gravest obstacles, our instinct for survival and capacity for creativity and ambition emerge. It is often when we think it is the end that we truly feel alive. This photograph captures the stark contrast between ruin and resilience. In the suffocating darkness of a room choked with smoke from falling missiles and shells, the doctors at Al Saudi Maternity Hospital made the brave decision to save a mother and her child. While fearing the worst, they silently hoped for the best, using their mobile phones not just as sources of light to complete the surgery, but as the only light they could truly see in that moment.

In the exhibition, ‘Ruins and Resilience’, held in Televzyon in collaboration with Televzyon and Voices Entities from 17 to 19 January 2025, 29-year-old photojournalist Mohammed Zachria Omer, who fled the war from his hometown Al Fasher in July 2024, assembled a collection of poignant photographs. The pictures were predominantly taken during his time in Al Fasher, the capital city of North Darfur, amid the ongoing war in Sudan between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). However, one remarkable image taken by Dr Safaa Naserldien, a doctor at Al Saudi Maternity Hospital, was sent to him by his friend and colleague, Dr Modather Ibrahim Suliman, co-founder of Dar Production Company and a medical director at Al Saudi Maternity Hospital, the only remaining public hospital in Al Fasher, and the only hospital capable of providing surgical operations and sexual and reproductive health services. Most hospitals in Al Fasher have been destroyed in the war. Al Saudi Maternity Hospital has been shelled repeatedly by the RSF. Most recently, on 24 January 2025, a drone attack at Al Saudi Maternity Hospital killed more than 70 patients, including women and children, and injured dozens.

The photograph showcases the unwavering determination of the doctors who continue to perform their duties under unimaginably challenging conditions during the war. ‘When we took this photo, we didn’t think we would survive,’ said Dr Modather to Omer.

Omer reflects this in the title of his exhibition, ’Ruins and Resilience’. ‘The ‘ruins’ symbolise the destruction that has taken place since 15 April – the devastation of infrastructure, hospitals, and the disappearance of almost all means of life. In contrast, ‘resilience’ reflects the incredible strength of the people of Al Fasher. No matter how much we talk about it, we cannot truly capture or describe the way people are coping on the ground,’ he said.  

On the final day, Omer hosted a focus group discussion where he shared his ideas and provided the attendees with insights into the situation in Al Fasher, one of the cities currently witnessing intense fighting in Sudan. According to the UN, since the RSF’s siege began in June 2024, Al Fasher has been turned into a battleground between the RSF and SAF, leaving at least 782 civilians dead and more than 1,143 injured. Thousands of civilians are besieged, without guarantees of safe passage out of the city, and at risk of death or injury from indiscriminate attacks by both parties. 

Captured on a mobile phone, this picture illustrates that every day in Al Fasher is a new battle for survival and resistance. Amid the death and destruction, life continues, with doctors tirelessly saving mothers and children. Yet, for every life saved, another is lost elsewhere in the city. The world must understand that this is the daily struggle of civilians, and their fundamental right to safety and life is being ruthlessly targeted. Documentation like this is vital, not only to ensure these stories are seen, but to also call for the urgent need for freedom, peace and justice – before it’s too late.

500WM Columnist Dominica Amet Joseph Marco is a 26-year-old South Sudanese writer, freelance journalist and feminist/social activist who graduated from the faculty of law from the University of Bahri in 2018. She is one of many who had to flee war in Sudan to finally come and live in her homeland South Sudan. She has written and published articles, stories and poems since 2017. She has worked with and published articles in Aka’bar Alwatan Newspaper in Sudan, Almugif Newspaper in South Sudan, and several other Arabic websites.