A desperate mother has told of her agonising 15-month wait for a decision from the Home Office on whether she can bring her remaining family from war-torn Sudan to Scotland after losing three children amid the conflict.

Kaltouma Haroun Ibrahim, 43, who lives in Glasgow and is a valued member of the community at Gorbals Parish Church, was granted leave to remain status in 2019, giving her the right to live and work in the UK. 

She has not seen her husband Hassan, her son Nassar, 18, or daughter Awadiya, 14, since they were separated nearly 10 years ago, and is growing increasingly concerned about their safety in Sudan.

Mrs Ibrahim believes people “are dying every day” in the region due to continued fighting between two rival groups, and is urging the Home Office to make a decision that could finally reunite her family.

Her lawyer submitted paperwork to officials about 15 months ago to bring them all to Scotland under a UK Government policy on family reunion, but has yet to receive confirmation they can join her.

Mrs Ibrahim said: “Sudan is a very dangerous place and I am very afraid for my family. 

“I have already lost three children and I need my other two and my husband here with me in Glasgow where it is safe.”

Sudan became independent of the UK in 1956 and the country has been gripped by civil war for the majority of years since.

The latest conflict broke out in April when the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces began fighting around the capital city Khartoum and the Darfur region. 

Thousands of people have died with millions more displaced, but despite the North African country’s historical links to the UK, there is no safe and legal route for Sudanese people to seek safety here.

Mrs Ibrahim was born and raised in Chad, where she met her Sudanese husband, but the couple were forced to flee the country after his life was repeatedly threatened.

They moved to neighbouring Sudan but civil war forced the family to move again to Libya in 2014, where they secured passage on a boat bound for Italy across the Mediterranean Sea.

The vessel sank shortly after departure and two of the couple’s young children, aged four and six, drowned.

The survivors reached the shore but Mrs Ibrahim became separated from her husband and three surviving children after she was taken to hospital in Libya.

She was unable to find them after she was discharged and eventually returned to Chad, where she thought she would be safe.y people looking for her husband.

Friends paid for her to escape to France and then London in 2016 to claim asylum. She moved to Glasgow the following year and secured refugee status and a residence permit in 2019.

Mrs Ibrahim finally managed to track down her husband and teenage children in Khartoum, but her daughter Safa, 13, died from wounds sustained in a rocket attack near her home in the city four months ago.

Mrs Ibrahim said: “There is a lot of looting and violence, people come into your house and attack you.

“Every day there is fighting and people die.”

As well as playing an active volunteer role at Gorbals Parish Church, Mrs Ibrahim is studying at Anniesland College to improve her English and also works part-time with disabled children for Glasgow City Council. 

Catriona Milligan, a community development worker at the church, said of Mrs Ibrahim: “She has leave to remain in the UK, she has passed all the tests required to be a refugee, and she is only asking for something that someone in her situation is entitled to – to be reunited with her immediate family in a place of safety.

“It is an utter disgrace that it has not happened already because her family are in danger on a daily basis, there is looting, violence and hunger.

“Three of her children are already dead, who can live like that?”

A Home Office spokesperson said: “All applications are carefully considered on their individual merits and in line with the immigration rules.”  By Paul Cargill, The Irish Times

NAIROBI, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) -- Members of Kenya-China Alumni Association on Saturday celebrated in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, 60 years of diplomatic relations between Kenya and China.

The event brought together more than 100 Kenyans who studied in Chinese universities and featured activities including Chinese martial arts, traditional Chinese music, dances, poetry awards for alumni who have excelled across diverse sectors of the economy as well as a screening of a documentary on achievements from Sino-Kenya relations.

Zhang Zhizhong, the deputy chief of mission and minister counsellor of the Chinese Embassy in Kenya, said that Kenyans who studied in China are a bridge for better relations between the two countries.

Zhang added that 60 years of Sino-Kenya diplomatic relations has resulted in mutual benefits for both nations. Zhang stressed that Kenya and China should reflect on the success of the past and utilize the lessons to inform future cooperation efforts.

Henry Rotich, the chairperson of Kenya-China Alumni Association, said that Kenya-China friendship is a testament to the resilience of a partnership that has weathered challenges and flourished through collaboration, mutual respect and shared aspirations.

Rotich observed that over the years, the alumni have grown to over 1,500 members and is an indicator of how much Kenyans believe in the quality of education in China.

He revealed that China is an attractive destination for Kenyans seeking higher education because the Asian nation is also a developing country that is facing similar challenges.

Norbert Njoroge, the vice chairman of the Kenya-China Alumni Association, noted that celebrations to mark decades of Sino-Kenya relations are relevant because they also signify transformation of the alumni's lives.

"Our alumni, who ventured to China in pursuit of education and knowledge, returned not just with academic qualifications but with values deeply ingrained in the fabric of their beings," Njoroge said.

He noted that Kenyan students in China adopted values of hard work, dedication, innovation and a commitment to excellence that have not only transformed their trajectories but also positively touched and changed the lives of countless Kenyans.

Faith Mworia, chairperson of the Chinese Language Teachers Association, said that 60 years of cordial Sino-Kenya relations have resulted in deep cultural exchanges between the two countries.

Mworia noted that the mutual friendship among the two countries has seen Chinese language and culture become popular among Kenyan students. - Xinhua

The US Department of Treasury on Friday sanctioned Uganda’s Commissioner General of Prisons Johnson Byabashaija over allegations of torture in the country’s correctional facilities. 

The sanction comes just days after the US imposed visa restrictions on unnamed Ugandan government officials believed to be behind the human rights violations and repression of marginalised groups in the country.

The US said in in a statement that since 2005 when Byabashaija was appointed as prisons boss, Uganda Prisons Service (UPS) members have engaged in torture and other serious human rights abuse against prisoners held within UPS facilities. 

“Prisoners have reported being tortured and beaten by Uganda Prisons Service staff and by fellow prisoners at the direction of UPS staff.

Members of vulnerable groups, including government critics and members of Uganda’s LGBTQI+ community, have been beaten and held without access to legal counsel; for example, in a 2020 case, the UPS denied a group of LGBTQI+ persons access to their lawyers and members of the group reportedly endured physical abuse, including a forced anal examination and scalding,” the US statement read. - MONITOR